Carlos Alcaraz comments on whether he wishes Jannik Sinner was playing in Barcelona

Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Carlos Alcaraz opens his 2026 Barcelona Open campaign against Otto Virtanen, who comes into the match ranked 130th in the world.

Alcaraz recently handed over the world number one ranking to Jannik Sinner following a loss in the Monte Carlo Masters final.

But he has a chance to reclaim it quickly, with Barcelona offering him that opportunity.

Alcaraz will need to win the tournament – something he’s done twice before – if he wants to return to the top of the rankings.

This time around, though, Sinner won’t be standing in his way. Instead, it’s Virtanen who’ll provide the first test for Alcaraz as he starts his run in Barcelona.

Carlos Alcaraz says he won’t ‘miss’ Jannik Sinner at the 2026 Barcelona Open

Photo by Valery HACHE / AFP via Getty Images

Alcaraz, who is seeded number one in Barcelona, spoke about the motivation of potentially returning to the top of the rankings while addressing reporters in Spain.

“Being number one in Barcelona is an extra motivation,” Alcaraz said during his pre-tournament press conference. “I saw that I have to win here if I want to get it back.

“The battle I have with Jannik is a beautiful one, but I’m focused and with the goal in mind of continuing to improve.”

“It’s a relief not to face him in every tournament, but he’s one of the players who makes me a better player, who makes me realize my weaknesses and see where I need to focus in every training session and every match.

“But I definitely won’t miss him this week.”

Carlos Alcaraz’s performance at the 2025 Barcelona Open

Carlos Alcaraz started his 2025 Barcelona Open with a solid run, picking up straight-set wins over Ethan Quinn, Laslo Djere, Alex de Minaur and Arthur Fils.

Even though Alcaraz was expected to win the final, he fell short against Holger Rune, who took the match 6-7, 2-6.

Afterward, Rune spoke about how he had drawn on lessons from Novak Djokovic’s victory over Alcaraz in the 2024 Olympic final.

“I told myself OK, what did Novak do when he beat him?” Rune said after clinching victory.

“I kind of played it in my mind, the Olympic final, and I thought to myself let’s try to play that kind of style. Really make him play a lot of balls.

“I’m really happy about how I stayed composed when it really mattered. I was also very brave when it mattered.”

Read more:

• Mirra Andreeva gets support from Azarenka and Mboko after Linz win
• Coco Gauff calls for Grand Slam change after Alcaraz privacy concerns
• Nick Kyrgios and Cameron Norrie to play new UTS event in Brazil