Carlos Alcaraz said he has no doubt that top-ranked Jannik Sinner is the best player in the world as the two young players continue to lay the foundations for an epic rivalry.
Alcaraz, the 21-year-old world No. 3, won the French Open and Wimbledon last year, splitting the four Grand Slam tournaments with 23-year-old Sinner.
Alcaraz also improved his head-to-head record against Sinner to 6-4, beating him three times in as many meetings.
Sinner, meanwhile, won 73 of his 79 matches in 2024, including the US Open and Australian Open, which he successfully defended at Melbourne Park last month.
"Jannik is the best right now," Alcaraz told reporters Sunday in Rotterdam, Netherlands. "He has lost only four or five matches in the past year, so it's crazy. I know people say who's better out of us. They say Jannik is better or some say me. It's all discussion.
"But for me, I think for a tennis player, we have to face Jannik and he's winning everything. He's focused every time, so I think he's the best. Every tournament he plays, he makes the final or lifts the trophy."
Alcaraz's comments came in response to a question about a recent statement made by Patrick Mouratoglou, who said he wouldn't put Sinner ahead of Alcaraz.
"Jannik is not above everyone, I don't think he is above Carlos," Mouratoglou, who coaches Naomi Osaka and was also Serena Williams' longtime coach, said in a video posted to his Instagram page. "When Carlos is at his best, there is a real match, and I'm not sure who is going to win, and nobody can say who will win."
He continued, "All their matches have been extremely close, extremely uncertain, and Carlos won some big ones against him. I think Jannik and Carlos are above everyone else. The difference is, they have a different type of game."
Alcaraz rejected the suggestion that Sinner is not the best player in the world, saying, "I don't agree with what Mouratoglou said."
Alcaraz returns to action in Rotterdam after his quarterfinal loss to 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open ended his bid to become the youngest player to capture all four major titles.
"I don't feel that it was a missed opportunity against Novak," added Alcaraz, who won the US Open in 2022. "I really wanted to win the tournament and felt I was able to, but Novak played an unbelievable match. Facing Novak in the quarterfinals at a Grand Slam is the worst thing.
"It was a pretty good match. I've tried to take the good things about that match and will look ahead now."
Top seed Alcaraz begins his Rotterdam campaign against wild card Botic Van De Zandschulp, who beat him in the second round of the US Open in August.
Reuters contributed to this report.