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Fierce Feuds
Sinner, Alcaraz continue to redefine No. 1 battle through shifting runs
Just one week separates the two stars in evolving race for top spot
April 13, 2026
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ATP Tour
Jannik Sinner has spent 67 weeks at No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings.
By Jerome Coombe
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz’s battle for World No. 1 has become one of the defining narratives on the ATP Tour, with the pair now separated by just one week in the total time spent atop the PIF ATP Rankings.
Both men entered Sunday’s Monte-Carlo final level on 66 career weeks at No. 1, but Sinner’s victory — the 17th instalment of their absorbing Lexus ATP Head2Head series — ensured the Italian has now begun his 67th week. It marked a third consecutive ATP Masters 1000 title for Sinner and a statement in their battle for No. 1, but the origins of their fight for the top spot can be traced back to the 2022 US Open.
Alcaraz saved a match point before advancing past Sinner in a thrilling five-set quarter-final, which was just their fourth meeting. The Spaniard carried that momentum through the tournament, where he defeated Casper Ruud in the final to claim his maiden major title and become the youngest man to rise to World No. 1 at 19 years and four months.
With his title run in New York, Alcaraz cemented himself as the early leader of the next generation, but holding No. 1 proved a shared task. In 2023, he and Novak Djokovic exchanged the top ranking seven times across the season. During that period, Sinner continued his upward trajectory with consistent results and deep runs at the biggest tournaments in the world.
In June 2024, Sinner charged to the top spot for the first time and held that position 65 weeks with sustained dominance. The Italian became one of just five men, alongside Roger Federer, Jimmy Connors, Lleyton Hewitt, and Novak Djokovic, to spend at least a full year at No. 1 in their debut spell.
Although Sinner and Alcaraz split the four major titles in 2025, the Spaniard sealed the next shift in their battle with his crucial US Open final triumph. Alcaraz reclaimed the World No. 1 spot and won his second ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours.
Alcaraz continued his dominance across the early stages of this season, when the 22-year-old became the youngest man to complete the Career Grand Slam at the Australian Open in January and followed it with a title in Doha. Sinner, however, has come roaring back once again.
The 24-year-old became just the eighth man in history to complete the ‘Sunshine Double’ with titles in Indian Wells and Miami last month and then backed it up with a run to his first clay-court ATP Masters 1000 title in Monte-Carlo, extending his winning streak to 17 matches. With his championship-match win over Alcaraz in the Principality on Sunday, Sinner has edged ahead in total weeks at No. 1, moving to 67, one more than Alcaraz’s 66.
Since the week of 10 June 2024, Sinner and Alcaraz have exclusively held the No. 1 position, underlining the extent of their control at the top of the PIF ATP Rankings. The gap to the rest of the field further reflects that dominance: Alexander Zverev, currently the closest challenger, sits 7,685 points behind Alcaraz — a deficit that exceeds the German’s own total of 5,555 PIF ATP Rankings points.
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With both players still in the early stages of their careers and separated by a single week at No. 1, their contest for the top ranking continues to be defined by fine margins, sustained consistency and the ability to deliver at key moments in the season.