Jannik Sinner Wins Monte Carlo Masters, Becomes World No. 1

Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner won his first clay court ATP Masters 1000 title by defeating Carlos Alcaraz at the Monte Carlo Masters on Sunday, April 13, in windy conditions. The victory ensures Sinner will become world number one on Monday.

Sinner defeated Alcaraz 7-6(5), 6-3 in their first encounter since November last year. The match lasted two hours and 15 minutes, during which Sinner became only the second player after Novak Djokovic to win back-to-back titles at the Miami Open and the Monte Carlo Masters.

Speaking in his on-court interview, Sinner said, “We came here trying to get as many matches as possible, getting good feedback before other big tournaments coming up. Today was a high level from both of us.” He added, “It was a bit windy, a bit breezy. Different conditions from what the tournament has brought. The result is amazing. Getting back to No. 1 means a lot for me… I am very happy to win a big title on this surface. I have not done it before and it means a lot to me.”

Sinner received significant crowd support on Court Rainier III and secured the first set after winning a tie-break that followed a double fault by Alcaraz. During the second set, Sinner was down 1-3 but rallied to claim the set and match. Alcaraz committed 45 unforced errors over the course of the match.

Regarding his performance, Sinner said, “I felt close on the return games and felt the new balls helped me, the ball change was at 2-1, and I just tried to stay there mentally. I tried to keep pushing. I felt a bit tired, so I tried to keep the right mentality, so having this trophy means a lot to me.”

With this victory, Sinner also became the third player to win four consecutive ATP Masters 1000 titles, joining Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, the latter an 11-time champion at Monte Carlo.

During the trophy presentation, Alcaraz congratulated Sinner, saying, “It is impressive what you are achieving right now. Just one man had won the ‘Sunshine Double’ and Monte-Carlo and you are now the second. It is something incredible and I just experienced how difficult it is. Congratulations for everything and the work you are doing with your team.”

Sinner did not lose a set en route to his titles in Paris, Indian Wells, and Miami. He completed the ‘Sunshine Double’ of Indian Wells and Miami without dropping a set. The second seed has won his last 17 matches and ended a 37-match winning streak by Tomas Machac at the Monte Carlo Masters. Sinner improved his overall record against Alcaraz to 7-10.

Click here to read article