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Tennis world No.1 Carlos Alcaraz remains adamant that rival Jannik Sinner will soon take his position. The Spaniard admitted earlier in the week that he was "gonna lose the No. 1 of the world" and has since reinforced the comments but warned his rival that he would push him all of the way.

The Australian Open champion is set to launch a defence of thousands of ranking points over the coming weeks after enjoying an impressive clay season last year. Alcaraz picked up three trophies and a runners-up spot in Barcelona, while Sinner missed time on the clay as he served a suspension.

That leaves plenty of room for improvement for Sinner, who is set to add to his points tally simply by being able to play. Both players have already made the last-16 in Monte Carlo, with Sinner taking on Czech star Tomas Machac and Alcaraz facing Tomas Martin Etcheverry of Argentina.

Alcaraz is already focused on what he must improve to reclaim the title of world's best, even though he hasn't lost it yet. Speaking to Eurosport, he said: "I have some ideas.

"The serve, obviously. I've already invested so much time in that area, not just on the court but also off it. How to improve the movement, the toss, the technique, the feel. I've really worked on that; it's crucial for me to visualize it both on and off the court.

"Getting back to Jannik and the world number one ranking, I saw that my statement caused a stir. But I mean it. He has several important tournaments coming up where he can earn a lot of points.

"I have to defend some, and I can't defend them all. It's going to be tough, but that's also what makes our rivalry so exciting. He's going to become world number one again, and I'm going to push him as far as I can to take that spot back. This duel for the top spot has been fantastic so far."

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Having suffered an early exit in Miami last month, Alcaraz has made an impressive start in Monte Carlo. The first seed coasted to victory over Sebastian Baez 6-1, 6-3 as he started his campaign to retain his title.

The unexpected break allowed Alcaraz to reset and it appears to have benefitted him. "I played a lot of golf," he revealed.

"It was non-negotiable. I took five days off completely with my family and friends. For me, that was more than enough.

"Then, I switched back on, I returned to the court to prepare for the clay court season. The transition between hard courts and clay is sometimes complicated, so I wanted to have a good week."