JANNIK SINNER DEFIES ALCARAZ'S EXPECTATIONS BY MOVING FROM MIAMI HARD TO MONTE CARLO CLAY
The Alcaraz-Sinner rivalry heats up! Read about the Miami to clay transition and the fight for the Monte Carlo title.
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have both kicked off their Monte Carlo Masters runs with solid wins, and fans are already hoping they’ll clash in the final, eager for their first big showdown of the 2026 season.
Last year, these two met pretty often, and honestly, it still feels like Sinner has some unfinished business on clay. In 2025, Sinner had to miss most of the clay-court swing because of his three-month ban, so he’s not really defending many points this year. That’s one reason why Alcaraz was pretty surprised to see his rival show up in Monte Carlo. He actually thought Sinner would give this one a miss, and he even admitted he was caught off guard when that didn’t happen.
At his latest press conference, someone asked Alcaraz to explain why he figured Sinner would skip Monte Carlo, especially after winning in Miami and jumping right into a new tournament so fast. Alcaraz didn’t sound too shocked at his own reaction, but he gave an honest answer: “We’re always guessing where guys will play. Sinner had a really long run in Indian Wells and Miami, a lot of matches, a big swing. There’s only about a week between Miami and Monte Carlo. The time zone, the surface, the balls, it’s all different. Switching from hard to clay that quickly, without much prep, is tough. But at the end of the day, if he’s here, it means he feels good physically and mentally, and he’s obviously excited to compete.”
He went on: “I was definitely surprised. He’s played so many matches on hard courts lately, barely had a break, and had to switch to clay with hardly any prep time. But then you see him playing doubles and looking sharp right away. That just shows the kind of player he is; he can adapt to anything, and fast.”
Alcaraz, for his part, knows he’s likely to lose the number one ranking to Sinner soon. The gap in their points for the next few months is just too big. Still, he figures it depends on how things go here in Monte Carlo, so at least it isn’t a done deal yet.
Here’s where the rankings race stands: there are a few scenarios in play for Sinner to overtake Alcaraz and become number one again. Honestly, it all comes down to how Alcaraz performs. If Sinner wins the title in Monte Carlo, he’ll jump back to number one, no questions asked. If Sinner doesn’t make at least the semifinals, Alcaraz keeps his spot. If Sinner reaches the semis and Alcaraz loses before the quarters, or if Sinner makes the final and Alcaraz doesn’t, Sinner takes the top spot.
Either way, this rivalry’s heating up again, and tennis fans are in for a treat.
WHY DID 22 PLAYERS SUDDENLY WITHDRAW FROM THE 2026 ITALIAN OPEN MID-TOURNAMENT?
Discover the full list of injured stars, including Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu, forced out of the 2026 Italian Open.
At the 2026 Italian Open, the number of players who have withdrawn or retired during matches has climbed to 22, spanning both the ATP and WTA competitions.
By midweek, 17 players had already exited the combined ATP/WTA 1000 event in Rome. Since then, an additional three men and two women have followed suit.
Before the draws were even announced on Monday, prominent names like Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz, Jack Draper, and Marketa Vondrousova had pulled out. On the opening day of the women’s tournament, Tuesday, Marta Kostyuk and Emma Raducanu also withdrew.
Amanda Anisimova, ranked sixth in the WTA, stepped back before her first match on Thursday due to a left wrist injury. Meanwhile, Victoria Mboko, who is ninth in the world, withdrew before playing on Friday because of a gastrointestinal illness.
Valentin Vacherot, the 16th-ranked player on the ATP tour, pulled out shortly before his scheduled second-round match against Marin Cilic on Friday, citing a foot injury.
Tomas Machac, holding the 41st spot in the men's rankings, also withdrew ahead of his second-round encounter with Daniil Medvedev after an impactful win against Stefanos Tsitsipas in round one.
Arthur Fils, ranked 17th, retired during his opening match against Andrea Pellegrino on Saturday, trailing 0-4, due to hip pain.
Here’s a rundown of the withdrawals on the ATP side: Carlos Alcaraz (No. 2) was replaced by Sebastian Ofner; Taylor Fritz (No. 7) by Zachary Svajda; Valentin Vacherot (No. 16) by Martin Landaluce; Arthur Rinderknech (No. 24) by Aleksandar Kovacevic; Holger Rune (No. 40) by Damir Dzumhur; Gabriel Diallo (No. 46) by Alexander Blockx; Jack Draper (No. 50) by Hamad Medjedovic; Raphael Collignon (No. 68) by Alexandre Muller; Reilly Opelka (No. 74) by Aleksandar Vukic; Arthur Cazaux (No. 73) by Mattia Bellucci; Kamil Majchrzak (No. 76) by Roberto Bautista Agut; and Eliot Spizzirri (No. 92) by James Duckworth.
On the WTA side, Amanda Anisimova (No. 6) was replaced by Elena Gabriela Ruse from Romania; Victoria Mboko (No. 9) by Nikola Bartunkova; Marta Kostyuk (No. 15) by Ajla Tomljanovic; Emma Raducanu (No. 30) by Lilli Tagger; Marketa Vondrousova (No. 44) by Solana Sierra; Sonay Kartal (No. 56) by Zeynep Sonmez; Varvara Gracheva (No. 61) by Eva Lys; and Veronika Kudermetova (No. 70) by Petra Marcinko.
THE "REST OVER REPS" PLAN: WHY JANNIK SINNER IS SNUBBING HALLE FOR WIMBLEDON
After 23 consecutive wins, World No. 1 Jannik Sinner adjusts his schedule to target a Career Grand Slam and Wimbledon glory.
Jannik Sinner has already logged a heavy schedule this year, with deep runs in recent Masters 1000 tournaments keeping him on court against top-tier competition regularly. Given this demanding stretch, he’s taken a fresh look at his calendar and decided to skip the Halle Open, carving out a three-week break between Roland Garros and his Wimbledon title defence.
The 2024 Wimbledon champion won’t be heading to Germany for the grass-court event. That’s notable since Sinner claimed that Wimbledon crown in impressive fashion, overcoming two-time winner Carlos Alcaraz to secure his first major title away from hardcourts. That victory was his latest Grand Slam, following Alcaraz’s wins at the previous two majors.
After Roland Garros, where he seeks to complete the career Grand Slam, Sinner plans to recharge rather than pile on more tournaments before Wimbledon. Without Alcaraz in sight, he’s considered a favourite to maintain his remarkable run. His recent haul includes titles at Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, and, most recently, Madrid. Now, he’s setting his sights on Rome, his home turf, where he’s never clinched a win but is eager to continue an ambitious streak of Masters 1000 victories, aiming for a sixth in a row.
Post-Rome, he’ll take a week off before the French Open begins. In total, Sinner has played 23 matches over the last two months without tasting defeat. If he wants to lift the Rome trophy, he’ll need to notch six more wins, then potentially battle through seven more rounds in Paris. This demanding schedule partly explains his choice to forgo Halle.
As for the 2026 Halle Open, fans might be disappointed not to see the world number one, but the field remains strong. Heading the draw is Alexander Zverev, a local favourite who has yet to claim a grass-court title or even one on home soil. With Sinner out, this could be a prime opportunity for Zverev to break through.
The American players are also well represented. The U.S. hasn’t seen a finalist here since Mardy Fish in 2004, but Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton might be poised to change that, especially Fritz, who has already shown grass prowess with titles in Stuttgart and Eastbourne last year.
Defending champion Alexander Bublik, who ousted Sinner on his way to victory and took down Daniil Medvedev in the final, will be back aiming to repeat. Alongside him, names like Andrey Rublev, Flavio Cobolli, and Frances Tiafoe are also set to compete. The tournament runs from June 15 to 21, promising plenty of exciting tennis.
