Carlos Alcaraz refuses to entertain the idea of going for Jannik Sinner's World No. 1 ranking amid Indian Wells progress

Carlos Alcaraz has played down the idea of aiming for the No. 1 spot in the ATP Rankings, despite his recent run of form. The Spaniard has registered ten wins from his last 11 matches.

Alcaraz is currently competing at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells and booked his place in the quarterfinals after a dominant 6-1, 6-1 win over 14th seed Grigor Dimitrov. He previously triumphed over 27th seed Denis Shapovalov and Quentin Halys.

The Spaniard hardly broke a sweat against Dimitrov in the fourth round. While critics started discussing his chance of overtaking Jannik Sinner for the No. 1 ranking, Alcaraz preferred to focus on his progress and performance instead.

"Well, I'm not thinking really much about recovering the No. 1 in two or three months. I mean, that could make me feel extra pressure with that. I'm just focused on every day and every tournament, because if I'm doing the right things, if I'm just focused on every day and the things I have to improve, the result is gonna be there and then the No. 1 is going to come after," Carlos Alcaraz said in his post-match press conference

Alcaraz is almost 4000 points behind Jannik Sinner in the ATP Rankings. However, with the Italian's current suspension from the main tour, he has a chance to reduce the gap between them. The 21-year-old is aiming for his third consecutive title in Indian Wells. He successfully defended his crown last year by defeating Daniil Medvedev 7-6(5), 6-1 in the final.

Alcaraz has already tasted success this year by winning the ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam last month. He wished to enter another final in Indian Wells and was fully focused on his performance in Indian Wells.

"Just right now, I'm focused on this tournament, Indian Wells, and I want to still play good tennis. Hopefully make the final or lifting the trophy. That's my goal here," Carlos Alcaraz said.

The Spaniard also looked forward to participating in the Miami Open. He mentioned how consistent performances could automatically improve his chances of claiming the No. 1 spot in the ATP Rankings.

"I'm just feeling better and better, and then after here, I will think about Miami and then the tournament next. So if I'm doing, as I say, if I'm just playing better and better in every match and every tournaments, the results is gonna be good, is gonna be for my side, I guess, and then the ranking is gonna be much better," he added.

Carlos Alcaraz will take on Francisco Cerundolo in the quarterfinal of the BNP Paribas Open 2025

Carlos Alcaraz plays a backhand in the BNP Paribas Open - Source: Getty

Carlos Alcaraz will take on Francisco Cerundolo in the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open. He leads the head-to-head against the Argentine 1-0 and outclassed him in the Queen's Club Championships last year.

While Alcaraz edged past Dimitrov in the fourth round, Cerundolo made light work of ninth seed Alex De Minuar, beating the Aussie 7-5, 6-3 in one hour and 50 minutes. Whoever wins, will take on either 11th seed Ben Shelton or 13th seed Jack Draper in the last four.

The other quarterfinal will see 12th seed Holger Rune take on Tallon Griekspoor while fifth seed Daniil Medvedev will lock horns with 20th seed Arthur Fils, who will play his maiden Masters 1000 quarterfinal.