Alcaraz Admits That Pressure 'Killed' Him After Sinner's Three-Month Ban
News
Carlos Alcaraz has been the man to follow on the ATP Tour since Jannik Sinner's suspension, but he now admitted that pressure got to him.
Alcaraz has been the man to follow for a few years now. Although many tennis fans recognized his talent already before his 2022 US Open triumph, his win in New York was what put the young Spaniard into the ultimate spotlight.
But that spotlight didn't bother him. After winning his maiden Grand Slam title and becoming the youngest-ever World No. 1 player, Alcaraz continued winning majors. Up until this point, he has four to his name.
Yet, in recent months, the 21-year-old started struggling with nerves. He openly talked about it after his loss in the semi-finals of the Indian Wells Open to Jack Draper, and he has mentioned the topic a few times since then.
Those nerves might have been related to the pressure that came with the suspension of the current World No. 1 player, Jannik Sinner. With the Italian player previously dominating at almost all hard-court tournaments, Alcaraz wasn't always the number-one favorite, they more or less shared that spot.
Now, with Sinner's suspension, the Spanish youngster is the only one that everyone looks at when a tournament starts, especially since he had a chance to become the World No. 1 again.
Sinner's suspension meant that he would not only not be able to add any points, but also lose the points that he had earned during this period this year. That gave Alcaraz a great advantage, but he wasn't able to capitalize on it, and he now certainly won't reach the No. 1 spot before Sinner's return.
Speaking ahead of the 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters, where he is supposed to appear next, Alcaraz admitted that the pressure tied to Sinner's suspension "killed" him.
"A lot of people are asking me, or are telling me, that I have the chance to become No. 1 if Jannik is not playing. So probably that pressure has killed me in some way."
At the same time, the four-time major winner maintained that he was not surprised by the fact that he was able to win only the Rotterdam Open out of all the tournaments that he entered. According to Alcaraz, the competition is very high at the moment.
"I'm not surprised. The people always say that we have to win the tournaments or the top people have to be there all the time playing finals or winning tournaments."
Alcaraz also knows that becoming the No. 1 player during this clay-court season might be too big of an ask. He knows that Sinner is too far ahead, and the Spaniard also tries not to think about it to avoid any additional pressure.
"I'm just thinking that I'm not able to become No. 1...in the clay season. Even if Jannik 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."
In Monte Carlo, Alcaraz will start against the winner of the match between Fabio Fognini and Francisco Cerundolo in the second round of the tournament.
