Alcaraz on Main Goal: Regain World No. 1
Photo credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty
By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, July 24, 2025
Jannik Sinner dethroned two-time Wimbledon winner Carlos Alcaraz in a rousing Wimbledon final this month.
The second-ranked Spaniard’s primary goal for the second half of the season is all about trading places. In a new interview with Marco Iaria of La Gazzetta dello Sport, Alcaraz said his main aim is regaining the world No. 1 ranking.
“Last year, after the Olympics, I struggled to express myself and I didn’t achieve great results. So, from now on I won’t have many points to defend until the end of the season,” Alcaraz told the Italian publication. “I will give my best in the next tournaments to win as much as possible.
“I know that Sinner doesn’t care if he has a lot of points to defend, he is a great fighter who always plays to win and does not let himself be conditioned by this. But I’m ready for the challenge, right now my first goal is to regain the first position in the ranking. Now I’m preparing for the American tournaments, in order to get in top shape for the US Open”
Together, Alcaraz and Sinner have combined to capture the last seven Grand Slam championships.
“It’s a great thing for our sport, because it entices people to watch tennis and play it,” Alcaraz told Marco Iaria of La Gazzetta dello Sport. “Our challenges, like the latest ones at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, are always highly anticipated. The more games we play against, the more people we will involve in this sport. Also because every time we face each other we both push ourselves beyond our limits”.
Hard court king Sinner now owns three of the four major championships—2024 US Open, 2025 Australian Open and 2025 Wimbledon—solidifying his status as the world’s premier player. Sinner snapped Alcaraz’s 20-match Wimbledon win streak with his four-set conquest in the final at SW19.
The 22-year-old Alcaraz, who is the third-youngest man to hold five major titles behind only legendary Bjorn Borg and his doubles partner the retired king of clay Rafael Nadal, suffered his first Grand Slam finals loss falling to 5-1 in major finals.
Despite their pressure-packed duels, Alcaraz says the rivals remain friends who share mutual respect.
“Tennis is a particular sport that allows you to be great rivals on the court and, at the same time, to respect each other,” Alcaraz said. “Sinner and I are good friends, we can talk about many things off the court. I have great respect for him, he is a nice person, I am sure we will always be able to maintain this relationship”
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