Carlos Alcaraz has fired a warning to Jannik Sinner as he declared that he is on the hunt for the year-end No. 1 ranking.
However, Alcaraz’s focus on the top spot could backfire. He made the same statement last year and had a disappointing end to the season, suffering early exits and failing to reach any finals.
The world No. 3 is back in action at this week’s Cincinnati Open after claiming a silver medal at the recent Olympics, where he lost to Novak Djokovic in the final. It’s just the second match Alcaraz has lost since the end of May.
After a relatively quiet start to the season, the 21-year-old has been on a rampage in the summer, winning the French Open and Wimbledon. He is now 450 points behind Sinner in the rankings race and is ready to put in a shift to reach the top by the end of the year.
“Obviously being No. 1 is a goal every time that I am [behind] and the race is an important ranking for me. At the end of the year, if you end the race No. 1, in the rankings [it is] quite similar, so you’re going to end the No. 1,” Alcaraz told the ATP.
So I’m really focused on that. I’m focused on going to every tournament, thinking about playing great tennis, doing a good result just to get better in the race, and this year, ending the year as No. 1 is one of my main goals right now. So I’m looking forward to doing it and let’s see.”
Alcaraz now has a chance to gain on Sinner at the Cincinnati Open. The Spaniard reached the final last year and lost in a deciding set tiebreak, and he will be aiming to go one better.
