Carlos Alcaraz enjoyed a comfortable win over Sebastián Báez in his opening match at the Monte-Carlo Masters, 6-1, 6-3, and was optimistic with his level ("I surprised myself with the level. I thought I was going to play a little bit worse"). Alcaraz is also happy to return to clay, which has been his preferred surface: last year he won three titles on clay (Monte-Carlo, Rome, Roland Garros) and reached a final in Barcelona, a 22-1 record in 2025.
The downside of being so dominant last year, including that dramatic Roland Garros final that lasted over 5 hours, is that he will be defending 4,300 points while Jannik Sinner only defends 1,950 points. Currently separated by only 1,190 points, it is almost inevitable that Sinner will overtake him in the ATP rankings at some point, maybe even on Sunday if both reach the final and Sinner wins.
Alcaraz did not hide from that fact, admitting that "I'm going to lose No. 1 in the world" in an interview after the match with Báez. "I don't know if it is going to be at this tournament or [another] one. I'm defending a bunch of points that are going to be really difficult to defend. Even if I defend them, Jannik is going to add some points.
"I will just try to play my best and let's see what happens, but for me the No. 1 spot is not in my mind right now. I'm just trying to feel the best way on clay courts and let's see how the clay swing goes."
Both Alcaraz and Sinner will play their round of 16 matches tomorrow. Alcaraz will face Tomás Martín Etcheverry or Terence Atmane, and Sinner will face Francisco Cerúndolo or Tomas Machac, depending on the matches on Wednesday.