Alcaraz starts early to protect his lead over Sinner
Carlos Alcaraz is trying to stay one step ahead of Jannik Sinner in the rankings, which has become a fairly demanding full-time job. While Sinner was battling rain in Miami to complete the Sunshine Double, Alcaraz was already back in the sun, training on clay near home.
His third-round defeat at the Miami Masters 1000 served as a warning sign, and it also gave him something useful: a few extra days to get ready for the clay season. After taking some time off to recover from the loss, and apparently to indulge in a rather expensive yacht purchase, Alcaraz has returned to the practice court with a clear objective. The upside of an early exit, at least in this case, is more time to prepare for the surface where he has done most of his damage.
Alcaraz and Sinner, a race for the top on clay
The first major stop is the Monte Carlo Masters 1000, scheduled for 5 to 12 April. Alcaraz is expected to head to the Principality next Friday. For now, he is training close to home at the Real Sociedad Club de Campo Murcia in El Palmar, with the club’s communications director, Antonio Hernandez, documenting the sessions on X.
The setting is familiar and calm, with family around him and plenty of local attention in the stands. The world No. 1 is trying to recover some of the serenity that seemed to disappear during the hard-court swing. On Tuesday, he even trained alongside Martin Landaluce, one of Miami’s breakout stories after reaching the quarter-finals as a qualifier.
Plenty of spectators turned up to watch, doing their best to make sure he felt at home. At the end of the session, Alcaraz surprised everyone by staying behind to help tidy up the court himself, just as he used to do when he was a kid. A small detail, sure, but it fits the current mood: grounded, local, and very aware that Sinner is closing in.
The pressure is real. Thanks to the Sunshine Double, Sinner has more than halved the gap in the rankings. The two are now separated by just 1,190 points. Clay also raises the stakes for Alcaraz, who defended 4,300 points on this surface last season after winning Monte Carlo, Rome, and Roland Garros.
Sinner, by contrast, has far less to protect. He only returned at the Internazionali d’Italia after serving a three-month suspension in the Clostebol case, which means the clay swing begins from a very different baseline for him.
Sinner keeps expectations low for Monte Carlo: “A tournament for preparation”
Sinner paid for his Sunshine Double run with a lot of energy in the United States, and he will now need a proper break before shifting to clay. He has already admitted he is not arriving in Monte Carlo with lofty expectations.
After beating Lehecka in the Miami final, he explained that the next phase is more about getting ready than chasing immediate results.
"Now we move to clay, where we know how strong Alcaraz is. I want to enjoy this moment too, otherwise you never stop. On Thursday we will start again on clay, if I am physically fine. For now I feel good, so I am happy about that. I will try to be in the best shape possible for Monte Carlo, an important tournament, but I also have to say it will be a tournament of preparation for everything else."
Sinner also said the first days back should help him understand his condition before Monte Carlo:
"If I am physically fine, on Thursday we will start again on clay. If I want to play singles, the doubles with Zizou Bergs could help me test the conditions in Monte Carlo and give me the chance to be as ready as possible."
So he gets only two days to switch off before getting back to work. Not exactly a long holiday, but elite tennis rarely pauses just because someone would like it to.
