Carlos Alcaraz admits that he ‘needs’ Jannik Sinner playing on the ATP Tour
Carlos Alcaraz has welcomed Jannik Sinner’s return to the tour at the Rome Masters, saying that he ‘needs’ the Italian playing competitively to ‘push him’ to improve.
The Spaniard got off to a flying start at the final Masters 1000 event before Roland Garros, defeating Serb Dusan Lajovic 6-3, 6-3 in his second-round Rome match.
World No 1 Sinner will be looking to make a similarly impressive against Mariano Navone during his comeback match.
“It [Sinner’s comeback to the tour] is great, honestly,” said Alcaraz, whilst speaking on the Tennis Channel.
“I have seen him around, for me, it’s great to have him back. Honestly, I need him on the tour because, I mean, he pushes me to be a better player and give 100% everyday, to be better.
“Of course, I am a fan of tennis, and I think that tennis needs him, to bring in new fans. His tennis is huge, it’s insane, I love watching him play.
“So, having the chance to see him and watch his tennis again is great, so I’m just really, really happy, but it’s a different feeling. That’s great for me, for tennis, and for the fans in Rome.”
When the Italian’s suspension was announced, many fans thought it would be a prime opportunity for Alexander Zverev and Alcaraz to close the gap in the rankings.
However, neither were able to take the top spot – with the Spaniard sitting 1840 points behind Sinner in the live rankings.
Alcaraz would benefit greatly from a successful run at the Rome Masters as he will be defending the maximum 4000 points across the French Open and Wimbledon, whilst the world No 1 has a chance to improve on his semi-final and quarter-final points, respectively.
“A lot of people are asking me, or are telling me, that I have the chance to become number one if Jannik isn’t playing,” stated Alcaraz, before his successful Monte-Carlo campaign.
“So probably that pressure has killed me in some way.
“I’m just thinking that I’m not able to become number one in the clay season, even if Jannik [Sinner] is not playing, I don’t have the chance to do it.
“I think I’m too far from Jannik. So I’m just here and I realise that I don’t have to think about it and just go there and play. That’s my mindset right now.”
Latest ATP News
Retired tennis great analyses what has ‘changed’ for Joao Fonseca since the start of 2025
Novak Djokovic’s next move confirmed with key schedule change
“A lot of people might have said I should have played better tennis or won more tournaments but I don’t think that is fair,” continued Alcaraz.
“I think the draw in every tournament is very open and a lot of players are playing good tennis and they deserve to be there. There are so many players who play well on clay and on all surfaces. (…) I see a lot of players who are capable of doing great things on clay.”
The two – as a result of being the top two seeds – could only meet in the final at the Rome Masters.
