Carlos Alcaraz admits that going down to World Number Three doesn't make a huge lot of difference in his world and that he doesn't play with any less or any more pressure regardless.
Alcaraz moved down to World Number Three amid the rise of one Jannik Sinner who could yet become World Number One in the coming weeks. A feeling that Alcaraz knows well, but isn't too fazed about battling Sinner for it as of course tennis fans and media alike will be thinking about a potential race to the top spot.
He will begin his Monte-Carlo Masters campaign and said it won't take him long to adapt to the surface. Albeit after having to withdraw with discomfort last year, he will be careful in one of his more unlucky tournaments.
“Being No. 1 or No. 2 is great, but just one position down does not change too much,” Alcaraz told reporters on Saturday ahead of the Monte Carlo Masters. “I know the players in front of me deserve this position so I have to work to recover this. I don’t play with different pressure being No. 2 or No. 3.”
“I had a few days off after Miami and started playing on clay a little bit,” he added. “I don’t take too many days to play at my best on the surface, so the practise I have done on clay was very good, so hopefully I start the tournament in a good way.”
“I am really happy to be here in Monte-Carlo. It is a really beautiful tournament. I watched this tournament many times since I was a little kid. I just played once. It didn’t go well in 2022 but I am really excited to start the tournament here and see how it is going to be. I am really happy about it. Hopefully I do a good run here, make the final rounds. This tournament is tough. Many difficult players.”
Carlos Alcaraz says moving to #3 in the rankings doesn’t change much for him: “Obviously, being number one or two is fantastic, but being second or third doesn't change much. I know that the players ahead of me have those positions and I have to work to recover it, but I don't…
