How does Jannik Sinner defeat Carlos Alcaraz? Brad Gilbert offers his views on the Monte-Carlo Masters final

The Monte-Carlo Masters final will finally see a highly anticipated clash between the top two players in the world, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. It is the first time they will face off on the ATP Tour in 2026, and a lot riding on it. Former world number four Brad Gilbert gave his views on the upcoming final and previewed how each player can get the better of the other.

While it has not been totally straightforward for either player, it seemed inevitable in the end that the duo would finally meet in a big final. The last time was the ATP Finals back in 2025, in which Sinner won. On a completely different surface to the indoor hardcourts of Turin, Alcaraz may be slightly favoured on the clay courts of Monaco. He defeated Sinner in the final of the Rome Open and Roland Garros last year. However, he will seemingly need to be flawless against Sinner if he is going to defend his title. The winner will also walk away as the world number one, a hugely tantalising prospect for either of them.

Alcaraz is looking back to his best at times. He is coming off a disastrous Sunshine swing that saw him exit the third round of the Miami Open. He is a notable force on clay, and has shown that after blasting himself into the final of a second consecutive Monte-Carlo Masters final.

Gilbert warned of a tendency of Alcaraz to switch off and have a blip in matches. He was adamant that it could not happen against Sinner as this time it would surely be punished. “It's a completely different matchup mentally, because of the fact that Alcaraz could do some things against him that other guys can’t do,” Gilbert said. “It was just a stroll in the park today. He didn't have that feeling of what could maybe happen here? So, I do think that the biggest thing that I see, that Alcaraz sometimes he can have some dips in focus and concentrator. He can't have that against Sinner and I think he's ready to go.”

The unpredictability of the current world number one makes him so hard to play against. He will switch his game up seemingly with ease, pulling up a variety of marvellous shots that leave his opponent confused and floundering behind.

It also makes him an enjoyable watch. “I feel like the genius of Alcaraz, what really sets him apart and why he's such a fascinating watch, is his incredible unpredictability and genius level of it,” Gilbert said. “It is whether or not he might all of a sudden, at the tightest time, pull off a couple of drop shots. He might work a serve and volley. He might loop a forehand, crush a forehand."

With this, preparation is even harder. “Strategising for a player, when you have these feelings and trends of what they do, you have an idea of what to expect. But that’s the beautiful thing about him, he just might throw a wrinkle at you you're not ready for, and he can execute it.”

Sinner is on an imperious run of form. He is coming off the back of winning the Indian Wells and Miami Open titles. He is looking to win a fourth consecutive Masters 1000 title on the spin and a first on clay.

Gilbert was in awe of the level he was regularly producing on court, especially his serve. Against Zverev, the Italian won 87% of his first serves, virtually shutting the door. Adding to that, he has won 149 of his 154 service games during his 16-match winning streak for a winning rate of 96.8 per cent.

“Sinner has just been playing on another level, especially since Indian Wells," he stated, focusing on the serve "He's been serving so [well]. He hits his spots, and he's not a 145 [mph] server or some cannon server, but he's kind of like a Fed [Roger Federer] server. He serves a little bigger, but he's a dime server. He's been hitting his spots so good, and taking care of his serve so unbelievably well, which allows him to literally find easy breaks. But he's playing at an incredible, methodical level at the moment.”

To defeat Alcaraz, Gilbert highlighted the importance of controlling the centre of the court, restricting the variety of shots Alcaraz could produce. “[It is] not allowing Alcaraz to get in that first variety [shot], maybe the high loop, and then the rip, the drop shot. It’s when he's in that stationary position and he's the one controlling the first blow," he commented.

"It’s like two boxers being in the centre, maybe the boxer with the more variety is beating the one with more power. So I think Sinner has to control the centre of the court, and I think he has to really make progress on his serve plus one. When he does beat him, I feel like the serve plus one really sets the tone for him.”

The level that the pair of them have risen to in the last few years has been extraordinary. It seems surprising that they have finally set up a final matchup in 2026 at the fifth time of asking, much later than many tennis fans would have predicted amid their recent domination on the ATP Tour.

The scary thing in Gilbert's eyes is that they could go up another level or two, citing their young ages as a reason why they could continue to develop their game and improve. “The scary thing is for the field is that Sinner and Alcaraz are continuing to improve, and I think they're actually improving more than anybody else. But that's partly because of their age. They're 24 and 22, and that's what you should be doing, and they're constantly doing it.”