Carlos Alcaraz has embraced his loss against Jannik Sinner in the final of the Monte-Carlo Open with open arms. After this loss, Alcaraz could not defend his title and, more importantly, lost his top position in the PIF ATP rankings.

However, Alcaraz admitted Sinner makes him a better player as playing against him helps determine his own level. The Spaniard revealed he had learned a lot after playing against the Italian. 

Overall, Alcaraz currently has a 10-7 head-to-head record against Sinner.

“Jannik is one of those players who makes me a better player. He makes me realise my weaknesses, what I really need to focus on in each practice session and each match, so I try to improve every day,” Alcaraz said. “It’s great to have him as a focal point and to see him achieving all that he’s achieving.”

The youngster said he is glad to see that Sinner is taking an upward trajectory in his improvement graph.

“Honestly, I’m glad to see Jannik improving,” Alcaraz, who was the defending champion, said. “He has openly said that the clay swing wasn’t his favourite because of his playing style. Seeing the results he’s getting and the level he’s showing on clay makes me happy, because he’s the player who makes me improve, makes me stop and think about how I can be better, and what I need to work on to try and beat him.”

Sinner’s Sunday win against Alcaraz was his maiden win on clay against the Spaniard, with the latter winning four matches on the surface, including a thrilling Roland Garros final win in 2025.

“I’m glad to see him making giant strides, especially on clay,” Alcaraz said. “He’s beaten me on every surface, and I’ve also beaten him on every surface. When we face each other, there’s no favourite regardless of the surface, so we’ll see how this clay swing goes. Hopefully it’ll be like last year.”

Both Sinner and Alcaraz will be seen in action in the upcoming Madrid Open.