Carlos Alcaraz tells Jannik Sinner what he really thinks of him after Monte Carlo loss | Tennis | Sport

It was a double-whammy defeat for Carlos Alcaraz in the Monte Carlo Masters final on Sunday. He was the reigning champion, but lost 7-6(5) 6-3 to Jannik Sinner, and will also drop to No. 2 in the world when the rankings update on Monday, with the Italian overtaking him.

The top seed led by a break in both sets, but Sinner reeled off the last five games to lift his biggest career title on the clay. The Italian has now won three straight titles, completing the Sunshine Double by winning Indian Wells and Miami back-to-back next month, and has been crowned the Monte Carlo Masters champion for the first time.

Sinner becomes just the second man to win the first three Masters 1000 tournaments of the season, after Novak Djokovic completed the hattrick in 2015. And Alcaraz could do nothing but applaud his greatest rival for his efforts over the past few weeks.

“Hello everyone. Of course, I just need… I need to start with Jannik. I mean, it’s impressive what you are achieving right now,” the 22-year-old said during his runner-up speech.

“As far as I am concerned, just one man in the Open Era won the Sunshine Double and then Monte Carlo, and you are the second one to achieve. It’s something incredible and I just experienced how difficult it is to make that happen, so congratulations for everything, for the work you are doing with your team.”

Alcaraz was also well aware that Sinner had some extra supporters in the house, as Monte Carlo sits close to the Italian border. His parents and brother turned up for finals day, and there were plenty of Italians in the crowd cheering him on.

Although Alcaraz was unable to get over the line in Sunday’s final, he was pleased to see his rival lift such a big trophy in front of his loved ones. He continued: “I could see almost your whole family here, a lot in your team, just really, really happy to see you winning titles in front of them, so congratulations to you and of course, to your family and your team.”

The seven-time Major winner also had some kind words for his own team. “Then my team, my team over there. It wasn’t the end that we wanted, but besides that, we had a lot of fun this week,” he smiled.

“We enjoyed every single day here, playing, off the court, you made it super fun. I feel like I’m at home with you guys, so thank you very much for the work you’re doing, for everything you’ve done this week, and of coure we’re going to be better next time, for sure!”

Alcaraz is now expected to head to the Barcelona Open, where he is the top seed, and faces qualifier Otto Virtanen in his opening match. The Spaniard may not have defended his title in Monte Carlo, but he’ll have the chance to defend titles at the Italian Open and French Open next month.

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