John Isner and Jack Sock both left very surprised after hearing what Carlos Alcaraz has said recently

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Carlos Alcaraz has enjoyed a stunning career so far, with further success now being eyed at the Monte-Carlo Masters.

Alcaraz is ashamed to have made one Monte-Carlo Masters appearance, with injury having ruled him out of the last two editions.

Holger Rune thinks Alcaraz is the best clay player at this moment in time, with the Spaniard having won the French Open last year.

It represents one of four Grand Slam titles for the 21-year-old, who has won such titles on all three surfaces.

ATP Tour number three Alcaraz triumphed at the 2022 US Open, before winning Wimbledon in 2023 and 2024.

John Isner surprised to hear Carlos Alcaraz speak openly about number one ranking

But he remains behind both Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev in the world rankings, with his comments on the current situation really surprising former players John Isner, Steve Johnson and Jack Sock.

Speaking on the Nothing Major podcast, Isner said: “I want to talk about something that Carlos Alcaraz said. It might be something that Sacha Zverev was feeling as well.

READ MORE: Carlos Alcaraz has heard what some tennis fans have been saying about him recently which he thinks is very unfair

“He revealed the pressure to overtake Jannik Sinner as he was out for three months as number one in the world adversely affected his performance.

“Carlos’s quote right here said: ‘A lot of people were asking or telling me that I have the chance to become number one if Jannik is not playing so probably that pressure has killed me in some way’.

“I am surprised to hear him open up like that. I love that he is opening up about it. But as we all know, he and Alexander Zverev have not done themselves any favours during this suspension that Sinner is on right now.”

Concurring, Johnson said: “Super surprised. More so that as athletes generally you keep that type of stuff within, just because you don’t want to give yourself any ammo or any feeling of doubt that you are having.

“But I like the fact he does open up about it because it gives us an insight into what he has been feeling the last few months of tournaments.

“Struggling with his tennis and not doing so well in the Sunshine Double. I like the fact he is opening up and I think being honest about what he is feeling and the pressures he is facing, which we don’t often get from athletes in the media.”

Jack Sock thinks more is at play than meets the eye with Carlos Alcaraz

It definitely should be welcomed that Alcaraz is being so open, with many elite athletes in any sport often very closed off.

Moreover, he deserves huge praise for being so honest at the age of just 21, with the Spanish star showing maturity well beyond his years.

READ MORE: The three ATP players who could fly on clay without Rafael Nadal playing for the first time since 2002

He has managed to win the Rotterdam Open in Sinner’s absence, but both Alcaraz and Zverev have definitely missed an opportunity to close the gap on the Italian thus far.

Sharing his take on the situation, Sock commented: “I think fans and people always appreciate seeing the vulnerable side of athletes and people they look up to and like to watch, so I think any info and intel about what is going on inside an athlete’s mind is always going to be talked about and in the news.

“I am surprised a little bit as well. He and Zverev don’t seem like ones who would be saying this to make up for some results they weren’t expecting. I think Alcaraz, there is probably a lot more going on in the mind than people think.”