Carlos Alcaraz Eyes World No 1 Spot as Jannik Sinner Faces Ban
Carlos Alcaraz is aiming to become world No 1 again, but he knows it won’t be easy. The 21-year-old Spaniard is currently 3,820 points behind the top-ranked Jannik Sinner, who is banned from competing on the ATP Tour until May 4.
While Alexander Zverev, who is ranked second, is in a good position to overtake Sinner, he has been struggling with form. This means that Alcaraz, who is ranked third, has a strong chance to move up, but he remains realistic about the challenge ahead.
Alcaraz is in Indian Wells, where he is defending his title at the Masters 1000 tournament. He has already made it to the third round, having received a bye in the first round and defeating Frenchman Quentin Halys 6-4, 6-2 in the second round.
The Spaniard was last world No 1 in September 2023, before Novak Djokovic took over. Sinner replaced Djokovic at the top in June 2024, and with 11,330 points, he currently holds a significant lead over Alcaraz, who has 7,510 points.
Despite the chance to reclaim the top spot, Alcaraz is focused on improving his game, rather than obsessing over rankings. “It’s something that’s in my mind, but I’m not really focusing on it,” he said in his post-match press conference. “I focus on my tennis, on being a better player. If I keep playing well, the No 1 spot will come.”
Alcaraz added that chasing the No 1 ranking could add unnecessary pressure. “If I focus only on that, I’ll be putting extra pressure on myself, which I don’t want. I’m just focusing on improving and playing my best tennis. The ranking will take care of itself.”
While Alcaraz remains hopeful, he acknowledged that even with Sinner’s absence, reaching No 1 is still a tough task. “Right now, even though Jannik is not here, it’s really difficult to recover the No 1. Let’s see what happens in the coming weeks.”
The current ATP top 10 rankings (as of March 9, 2025) are:
- Jannik Sinner – 11,330 points
- Alexander Zverev – 8,135 points
- Carlos Alcaraz – 7,510 points
- Taylor Fritz – 4,900 points
- Casper Ruud – 4,045 points
- Daniil Medvedev – 3,930 points
- Novak Djokovic – 3,900 points
- Andrey Rublev – 3,480 points
- Stefanos Tsitsipas – 3,405 points
- Alex de Minaur – 3,335 points
