"I'm not surprised": Carlos Alcaraz admits pressure of overtaking Jannik Sinner to become world number one 'killed' him

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz has admitted that the pressure of overtaking Italy’s Jannik Sinner to become the world number one has ‘killed’ him in some ways. The 21-year-old is regarded as one of the best players currently playing men’s tennis in the singles category, along with the Italian star.

Alcaraz and Sinner are regarded as the heirs of the original Big Three in men’s tennis. With the three-time Grand Slam winner being out of action for as long as three months after agreeing on a deal with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) for a three-month suspension following two failed dope tests, many saw that it was a perfect opportunity for Alcaraz to dethrone the 23-year-old from the top of the ATP rankings.

However, Spaniard currently sits more than 3,600 points behind Sinner in the ATP rankings on the third spot and has no chance of overtaking him before he returns to the court days before the start of the Rome Masters in May later this year. The four-time Grand Slam winner, who is now taking part in the Monte-Carlo Masters, has been recently quoted in a report by TNT where he admitted that the pressure of overtaking Sinner at the top of the ATP rankings ‘killed’ him in some ways. Alcaraz also admitted that he is not playing in the ongoing clay-court season to become the world number one, and he is trying to keep his focus on playing well.

"A lot of people are asking me, or are telling me, that I have the chance to become No. 1 if Jannik is not playing,” he said. “So probably that pressure has killed me in some way. I'm not surprised [that I am so far behind Sinner]. The people always say that we have to win the tournaments or the top people have to be there all the time playing finals or winning tournaments. I'm just thinking that I'm not able to become No. 1...in the clay season. Even if Jannik is not playing, I don't have the chance to do it. I think I'm too far from Jannik. So I'm just here and I realise that I don't have to think about it and just go there and play. That's my mindset right now."