Jannik Sinner downplays world No 1 chances as he aims for ‘positive’ clay-court season
Jannik Sinner believes his success over the Sunshine Double will pay dividends during the clay-court season, though he insists his focus is not on the world No 1 ranking.
The Italian made history in the United States by becoming the first male player to win both the Indian Wells Masters and the Miami Open in the same season without dropping a set.
Sinner bounced back from tough defeats at the Australian Open (to Novak Djokovic) and the Qatar Open (to Jakub Mensik), entering the clay-court season on a 12-match winning streak.
Additionally, he has now been victorious in 34 consecutive sets in ATP Masters 1000 matches.
Sinner will next compete at the Monte-Carlo Masters, which takes place from April 5 – 12 and marks the beginning of the clay-court season.
“We have worked hard,” analysed the world No 2 during his pre-tournament press conference.
“It is a different surface; we all know that it is more physically demanding.
“Last year I played well on this surface, so we’ll see how it goes for me this year.
“But I believe that doing very long sessions under the heat helped me a lot, and in the United States, I didn’t struggle with that.”
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12 months ago, Sinner was forced to withdraw from events in both Monte Carlo and Madrid, due to accepting a 90-day ban after failing two doping tests.
He returned at the Italian Open and reached the final, before doing the same at the French Open – losing both showpiece matches to Carlos Alcaraz.
At his first clay-court event of the year, the four-time Grand Slam champion will open against either Ugo Humbert or Moise Kouame, with a potential third-round clash with Stefanos Tsitipas.
Sinner’s best result in Monaco came via semi-final appearances in both 2023 and 2024, losing a nail-biter to the Greek in the latter after an incorrect line call proved crucial.
“It is a good tournament to play in any case,” commented the world No 2.
“It is a good tournament as preparation for the upcoming tournaments.
“Having the opportunity to play at least one official match is important, and then sleeping at home, feeling at home here, is a very positive thing.”
At the moment, Sinner is just 1190 ranking points behind world No 1 Alcaraz.
If the Italian were to lift the trophy in Monaco, he would surpass the Spaniard – who is defending 1000 points – in the rankings and claim the top spot for the first time since September 2025.
Despite the close race, Sinner insists that his focus lies on tournament results and self-improvement, rather than his ranking.
“When you are an elite player, you play to win trophies,” added the two-time semi-finalist.
“The ranking points, in a way, are secondary. It is not a single tournament that defines if someone is number one or number two.
“For me, it is a tournament that I enjoy playing, and I am very happy to be here.
“Of course, I try to win as many matches as possible.”
