April 14 (Reuters) - Carlos Alcaraz said the opportunity to quickly reclaim the world number one ranking from his big rival Jannik Sinner provided him additional motivation for this week's Barcelona Open, but steady improvement during the clay season remained his top priority.
Alcaraz surrendered his Monte Carlo title and the top rank to Sinner after Sunday's final in Monaco but the Spaniard will have the chance to climb back to his perch by capturing the trophy on familiar territory in Barcelona.
The twice champion's hopes are boosted by the absence of Sinner in the draw, after the Italian took a break following back-to-back triumphs in Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo over the last few weeks.
"I won't miss him this week," Alcaraz joked in his pre-tournament press conference on Monday.
"I saw that I have to win the tournament here if I want to get the number one ranking back. The battle between Jannik and myself is great. It probably provides extra motivation.
"But we're focused and my mind is set on trying to stay on the path we're on, trying to keep improving. We're clear about what we need to do in training and in matches. That's the main goal, results and points are extra motivation."
Alcaraz, who begins his campaign against Otto Virtanen later on Tuesday, will remain world number two if he fails to win the title.
The Spaniard hopes to play a full schedule on clay this season with events to follow in Madrid and Rome ahead of his French Open title defence beginning in Paris on May 24.
Though stung by his loss to Sinner, the 22-year-old said he would only get better thanks to their growing rivalry.
"Jannik is one of those players who makes me better. He makes me realise my weaknesses, what I really need to focus on in each practice session and each match, so I try to improve every day," Alcaraz said.
"It's great to have him as a focal point and to see him achieving all that he's achieving."
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
