Jannik Sinner sends consoling messages to Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev amid recent setbacks

Jannik Sinner has given an interview in which he sympathizes with Carlos Alcaraz's and Alexander Zverev's attempts to unseat him as World No. 1. Sinner is in the middle of a 90-day ban imposed by WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) after he was found to have the anabolic steroid clostebol in his system in March 2024.

Either Zverev or Alcaraz, the No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, have had the chance to bypass the Italian in his absence, but both have faltered. Neither have been able to claim the two Masters 1000 events so far this year - Indian Wells and the Miami Open - with Britain's Jack Draper triumphing in Indian Wells, and Jakub Mensik beating Novak Djokovic in Miami.

Sinner's interview was relayed by X (formerly Twitter) user D, who posted an excerpt from the discussion in which Sinner was asked directly if he felt either Alcaraz or Zverev had buckled under the pressure of overtaking him. Sinner answered:

"No, no match is ever certain. Even if you play against the #100 in the world or the #150 in the world, they are all in tight matches especially when you're not feeling 100%...and perhaps they're going through some tough moments off the court, we can't know that. There are many things that can hinder you when you step on court, perhaps it's pressure, perhaps it's the thought of the #1 ranking, perhaps it's family matter or concerning people who are close to you...so I really don't know."

Sinner went on to suggest that both players still have time to catch him, and that the European swing and the change to clay court tennis might be the deciding factor:

"Certainly things can change quickly, and now there's the surface change. They come back in Monte Carlo, on clay. Carlos is the favorite on there; and same for Zverev, who could become #1 some time ago and played extremely well at Roland Garros. There's many things at play, so let's see how it goes."

Sinner's exclusion means that he'll have limited opportunities to sharpen his clay-court skills before the French Open at the end of May. He returns in time for the Internazionali BNL D'Italia event in Rome at the beginning of that month.

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Carlos Alcaraz, one of Jannik Sinner's principal rivals, has talked about the pressure of chasing No. 1

Six Kings Slam 2024 - Day Three - Source: Getty

World No. 3 Alcaraz has been at No. 1 before, first reaching the milestone in September 2022 at the age of 18. The Spaniard has certainly felt the pressure since Sinner's absence was announced, having reached only one final this year - the Rotterdam ATP 500 event in February.

Alcaraz told a recent post-match press conference, as reported by tntsports.co.uk, that on some level, the pressure had affected him. The Spaniard said:

"A lot of people are asking me, or telling me, that I have the chance to become No. 1 if Jannik is not playing. So probably the pressure is killing me in some way."

Zverev and Alcaraz are running out of opportunities to get closer to Sinner, who remains at No. 1. Sinner has a 2,685-point lead over Zverev and a 3,510-point advantage over Alcaraz.