Alexander Zverev became the men’s world number one on Monday, 2 November. He is the 30th player to top the ATP rankings and the first German to do it since Boris Becker in 1991. He won the French Open and the US Open this year and had a Tour-leading 12 semi-finals before the Paris Masters. On results, the 29-year-old has earned it.
But he took the top spot from a player who is injured, two days after losing in Vienna, and in a season when he rarely beat the best players in the world. That leaves some unease around a ranking he has chased for most of his career.
A season of firsts
For years Zverev had the reputation of a player who could not win the biggest matches. He lost the 2020 US Open final to Dominic Thiem from two sets up. He lost the 2024 French Open final to Carlos Alcaraz and the 2025 Australian Open final to Jannik Sinner. Before that, a badly damaged ankle in his 2022 Roland Garros semi-final against Rafael Nadal kept him out for months and raised doubts about whether he would ever get back to the top.
He has answered those doubts in 2026. In June he won his first major at Roland Garros, and he won again at Flushing Meadows in September. He also reached the Wimbledon final, where Sinner beat him on 12 July. Going into Vienna his season record was 65-14.
“It’s been a fantastic season for me winning in Paris and New York,” Zverev said in a statement released through the ATP. “So much work and effort have been put into achieving this goal, especially after coming back from the ankle injury.”
He made sure of the ranking with a 6-4 7-5 win over Tallon Griekspoor in the Vienna last 16 on 30 October. He then beat Britain’s Arthur Fery 6-0 6-2 in 58 minutes to reach the semi-finals.
Why the unease remains
The rankings changed partly because of who was missing. Sinner has not played since he won Wimbledon. On 6 October his team said a right knee injury would keep him out for the rest of 2026. Alcaraz had a wrist injury from April until the US Open and missed both the French Open and Wimbledon.
At one stage Zverev was more than 7,000 points behind the pair. He made up that gap while both were out, and Sinner could not defend his points from the second half of the season.
Zverev’s record against the elite has also drawn criticism. Analysts have pointed to a poor return against top-10 opponents this season. Former French doubles world number one Nicolas Mahut said Zverev deserves the ranking, but he wants to see him beat Alcaraz in a final, noting that Zverev had lost every time he played Alcaraz, Sinner or Novak Djokovic.
The weekend in Vienna added to that case. On Saturday Alex de Minaur beat him 6-4 1-6 7-6 (7-4) in the semi-finals. Zverev did not create a single break point in the deciding set and argued angrily with umpire Arnaud Gabas over a time violation at 5-6, which was later overturned.
There is also his history away from the court. In June 2024 a Berlin court dropped proceedings over allegations of domestic abuse made by a former partner, after Zverev agreed to pay €200,000. The settlement was not a conviction and involved no admission of guilt, and Zverev has always denied the allegations. Even so, the case has not gone away entirely, and it is one reason some people have mixed feelings about his rise.
Alcaraz has been firmly on his side. “Well deserved, to be honest,” the Spaniard said last week, calling Zverev a “two-time Grand Slam champion this year”. He added: “I’m just really happy about it.”
What comes next
The ranking system rewards consistency over 12 months, and Zverev has been the most consistent player on the tour. Becker was number one for 12 weeks in total, and Zverev could have the chance to stay there much longer.
The challenge now is to win the matches critics say he has not won. Before the season ends he has two events left:
- Paris Masters: the last regular Tour event of 2026, where Zverev starts as the top seed.
- ATP Finals in Turin: he won the title in 2018 and 2021 and goes in as the top-ranked player. Sinner will not be there.
- 2027: Sinner returns from his knee injury and Alcaraz is back to full fitness, which will be the real test of whether Zverev can hold the ranking against a full-strength field.
For now the rankings say Zverev is the best player in the world, and his two Grand Slam titles back that up. What would remove the doubts is beating Sinner or Alcaraz in a major final.
Sports journalist and editor at SportsPortal.net. Covers cricket, football, Formula 1, tennis, and basketball with a focus on how global sports connect with Pakistani audiences. Follows the PSL, Pakistan national cricket team, Premier League, and major international tournaments. Has reported on sports for digital audiences since 2021.
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