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Alcaraz 'Killed' By Pressure To Be No. 1
The Straits Times
|April 08, 2025
But third-ranked Spaniard is now at peace with not usurping Sinner as the top player
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MONTE CARLO - Carlos Alcaraz admitted that the pressure to reclaim tennis' world No. 1 ranking from the suspended Jannik Sinner has had a negative impact on his form this season.
The Spaniard is currently ranked third, behind Italian star Sinner and Alexander Zverev of Germany.
"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. So probably that pressure has killed me in some way," Alcaraz said at the Monte Carlo Masters.
The 21-year-old added that staying at world No. 3 has not come as a shock to him as he has not been playing well.
"I'm not surprised because 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," he added.
The four-time Grand Slam champion has endured a tough start to 2025, with his only title coming on the hard courts of Rotterdam in February. But the 1000 event in Monte Carlo signals the start of the clay-court season - a surface Alcaraz has excelled on.
This story is from the April 08, 2025 edition of The Straits Times.
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