Carlos Alcaraz Makes Stunning Admission About World No. 1 Ranking

On Tuesday afternoon, Carlos Alcaraz soundly defeated Sebastian Baez in his opening-round match at the 2026 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters: 6-1, 6-3. Alcaraz looked great as always. He tallied six aces and just three double faults, while landing 67% of his first serves and scoring points 83% of his first serves. In addition to the strong service games, Alcaraz broke Baez in 5/10 opportunities.

Despite the strong showing, Alcaraz sounded almost somber in his on-court interview after the victory. The Spanish superstar acknowledged the uphill battle he faces this clay court season and said he will lose the ATP World No. 1 ranking.

"To be honest, I'm going to lose World No. 1."

Carlos Alcaraz talks about the possibility of Jannik Sinner overtaking him in the rankings this clay season.#RolexMonteCarloMasters pic.twitter.com/2HpcaVqXJ0
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) April 7, 2026

"To be honest, I'm gonna lose the No. 1 in the world," said Alcaraz. "I don't know if it's gonna be in this tournament or in the next one. So, I'm defending a bunch of points, and it's gonna be really difficult to defend all of them. Even if I defend them, Jannik is gonna add some points in these tournaments that he doesn't have to defend any points in these tournaments.

So, I will try to play my best, and let's see what happens. But obviously, and of course, for me, the spot of the No. 1 is not in my mind right now. I'm just trying to feel, the best way or as good as I can on clay court, and let's see how it's gonna be the clay swing."

Picking up where he left off 🙌@carlosalcaraz makes it six consecutive wins in the Principality!#RolexMonteCarloMasters pic.twitter.com/b5JLIal1CX
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 7, 2026

As fans and media have pointed out, it could be a mental trick to relieve pressure as he defends 4,300 points on clay this spring. However, the reality is that Sinner will continue to rapidly gain ground on him in the ATP Rankings.

Not only did Sinner complete the Sunshine Double, but he broke Novak Djokovic's record of the most consecutive sets won during ATP Masters 1000 events. With zero points to defend from now until Rome, Sinner will narrow Alcaraz's lead in a matter of weeks.

Currently, Alcaraz is the World No. 1 with 13,590 points (with 1,000 points dropping after the Monte-Carlo Masters), and Sinner is No. 2 with 12,400 points.

Clayyyyy! 🧱❤️ pic.twitter.com/Dvi2z7omQy
— Carlos Alcaraz (@carlosalcaraz) April 7, 2026

Sinner defeated Ugo Humbert in straight sets earlier today and will face the winner of Tomas Machac and Francisco Cerundolo in the Round of 16 tomorrow. Meanwhile, Alcaraz will face either Tomas Martin Etcheverry or Terence Atmane tomorrow as well.

The Monte-Carlo Masters runs from April 5-12. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's Serve On SI for all of your tennis news from the court and beyond.