Zverev Becomes Tennis World No. 1 After Long Slog to Top
Zverev became the 30th man to reach No. 1 after Sinner’s knee injury opened the door and he won his opening two Vienna matches.
- On Thursday, Alexander Zverev secured the ATP world number one ranking by defeating Tallon Griekspoor 6-4, 7-5 at the Vienna Open, becoming the 30th man to achieve this feat since rankings began in 1973.
- Zverev's ascent follows a dominant 2026 season where he captured titles at the French Open and US Open, aided by the absence of Jannik Sinner, who ended his season early due to knee injury.
- The 29-year-old is the second German to top the men's tour rankings since Boris Becker in 1991, having secured 64 victories across 80 matches during 2026.
- "I'm super happy, super thrilled," said Zverev, who acknowledged he might "maybe not" be the world's best player if rivals were "healthy and at the top of their game."
- The Hamburg native now turns his focus to the season-ending ATP Finals next month, entering as the new world number one after a campaign that seemed "unthinkable" at the start of 2026.
46 Articles
46 Articles
Overtaking world tennis has become a reality: Alexander Zverev is the new number one in the world. With the victory won today, October 29, in the second round...
Alexander Zverev will be on Monday, November 2, the 30th player to be ranked 1st in the ATP class.
Thanks to his qualifying for the quarter finals of the ATP 500 tournament in the Austrian capital, Alexander Zverev has the guarantee of having at least 9,450 points in the standings on Monday, as much as Italian Jannik Sinner, but the 29-year-old German will be ahead of him in the number of Grand Slam tournaments won (2 against 1) this season. Already assured to finish the year 2026 at the top of the ATP classification (a first for a German), t…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 44% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
