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Alexander Zverev defeated Tallon Griekspoor 6-4, 7-5 at the Erste Bank Open on Thursday to confirm his long-awaited rise to the summit of men’s tennis.
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The 29-year-old will make history as only the second German tennis player to occupy the world number one position after Boris Becker achieved the milestone in 1991.
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Zverev has enjoyed an exceptional campaign, recording 64 victories in 80 matches while winning two Grand Slam titles at the 2026 French Open and US Open.
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Zverev has benefited from the repeated injury-related absences of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who have dominated men’s tennis in recent years.
October 30, (THEWILL) – Alexander Zverev is set to replace Jannik Sinner as the men’s world number one tennis player following his 6-4 7-5 win over Tallon Griekspoor at the Erste Bank Open on Thursday.
The German player was already guaranteed to finish as the world number one, but he hastened his ascension to the throne with an impressive performance.
Zverev has enjoyed a remarkable year, winning two Grand Slam titles, while also recording 64 wins out of 80 matches in 2026.
He will be announced as the World number one on Monday when the ATP rankings are released.
He will become the second German player to occupy the position after Boris Becker in 1991.
The 29-year-old will also become the second oldest player to top the rankings for the first time.
Zverev was delighted to rise to the top of the rankings for the first time in his career.
He said: “It’s been a wait but sometimes you have to wait for the best things in life.
“It is different than winning a tournament or a title, but it’s such a special feeling to know that the No 1 is going to be next to your name when the new rankings come out. I’m super happy and super thrilled.
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He added: I was super focused, super motivated for multiple reasons, but No 1 was definitely a big subject, and I think I played a very good match and I am very happy about that.”
Zverev has taken advantage of the continuous absences of the duo of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, who are the most dominant players in the sport in recent years.
Both players have been plagued with injuries this year; Sinner has missed five major tournaments, while Alcaraz has missed seven due to a wrist injury.
Alcaraz led the rankings at the beginning of the year with 12,050 points, closely followed by Sinner on 11,500 and Zverev started the year in third with 5,110 points.
Zverev will take on Arthur Fery in the quarter-finals of the Erste Bank Open on Friday.
He has won 26 ATP Tour singles titles, including two majors at the 2026 French Open and 2026 US Open, a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, seven ATP 1000 events, and the 2018 and 2021ATP Finals.
