Jan 24, 2024; Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Alexander Zverev of Germany shakes hands with Carlos Alcaraz of Spain after defeating him in the quarter final of the mens singles at the Australian Open.

tennis

Carlos Alcaraz Regains World No. 2 Ranking From Struggling Alexander Zverev After 2025 Monte Carlo Masters Dominance

Alcaraz is No. 1 in the Race to Turin.

One man’s gain is another one’s loss! With a scintillating success story at the 2025 Monte Carlo Masters, Carlos Alcaraz has regained the World No. 2 spot in the ATP Rankings. He has overtaken German powerhouse Alexander Zverev, who was dumped out in the Round of 32 by Matteo Berrettini. The rise means that Alcaraz is inching closer to the top of the pile – with Jannik Sinner seated comfortably on the throne.

Additionally, this also means that if things stay how they are, Alcaraz and Sinner will not meet each other until the final at Roland Garros. It could potentially set up a blockbuster duel – one that may decide who takes over the reins as the ATP’s indomitable king. For Zverev, failure to reach a single quarterfinal in four tournaments since mid-February has caused a massive slump.

Carlos Alcaraz Completes Dream Run in Monte Carlo to Grab No. 2 Ranking

The 21-year-old came into the tournament with minimal momentum. He was ousted in his opening encounter at the Miami Open, losing to David Goffin after winning the opening set. Kicking his campaign off against Francisco Cerundolo, Alcaraz dropped the first set before making a magnificent comeback. He then pulled off an epic come-from-behind win against Arthur Fils in the QFs – the Spaniard was down 5-5 0-40 in Set-2 and 1-3 down in Set-3.

After a comfortable semifinal win, ‘Carlitos’ locked horns with Lorenzo Musetti in the summit clash. Yet again, he came from a set down to thrash the Italian. By lifting up the shiny trophy at the Principality, Alcaraz won his first Masters-1000 championship in 13 months and 6th overall. It is also his third Masters win on clay courts.

Alcaraz sits on top of the ATP Race to Turin 2025, with 2,410 live points after Monte Carlo. He is followed by Sinner with 2,000 points. Meanwhile, the four-time Grand Slam champion pushed up to second place in the ATP Rankings – he now has 7,720 points as opposed to Zverev’s 7,595 points. Top ranked Sinner has 9,930 points.

Where do Alcaraz and Zverev Head to Next?

BACK TO #2❗

The new ATP rankings are out and 🇪🇸 Carlos Alcaraz has risen from #3 back to #2, switching spots with Alexander Zverev, following his run to the title in Monte Carlo. 🏆📈

This will be the 21-year-old's *89th* career week inside the Top 2:https://t.co/Uxw631PftS
— TENNIS (@Tennis) April 14, 2025

Carlos Alcaraz now goes to Catalonia for the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell – between April 14 to April 20. He faces Ethan Quinn in Round-1, who came through qualifying. With 500 points up for grabs and a potential final against Casper Ruud on the cards, the new World No. 2 will be hoping to continue his dream clay court run.

Alexander Zverev heads back home for a change of fortune at the BMW Open in Munich from April 14 to April 20. His Round-1 encounter is against Alexandre Muller of France. Zverev can also pick up a maximum of 500 points this week at home, before heading to Madrid and Roland Garros.

Can Alcaraz and Zverev ensure they are in form before the anticipated return of Jannik Sinner in Rome? Regardless, things are about to get very interesting.

Alexander Zverev

ATP

Barcelona Open

BMW Open

Carlos Alcaraz

Jannik Sinner

Monte Carlo Masters

Novak Djokovic

Tennis

Sankalp Harikrishnan

A passionate sports fan through and through, I am currently pursuing my MA in Global Sports Journalism. I specialise in tennis and football writing at The Playoffs News, and I have prior experience working at EssentiallySports and Sportskeeda. Born and raised in Bengaluru, India, sport was my safe space right from my childhood. After trying my hand at multiple sports and representing my educational institutions in cricket, badminton and table tennis, I found sports media to be my calling.