Zverev Makes History As Tennis’ New No. 1

In order to advance to the Vienna Open quarterfinals on Thursday, Alexander Zverev defeated Tallon Griekspoor 6-4, 7-5, hastening his rise to the top of the world rankings for the first time in his career.

The 29-year-old German was already certain to finish the season at the top of the ATP rankings, but after winning his first two matches in the Austrian capital, two-time Grand Slam champion Zverev will now claim that title in next week’s updated standings due to the absence of current incumbent Jannik Sinner.

Zverev, who has long been regarded as tennis’ “nearly-man,” has had an incredible 2026 and broke his major duck by winning the US and French Opens.

He is now only the 30th man to hold the top spot since the rankings were first released in 1973, further breaking previous records.

When the new rankings are released on Monday, he will be 29 years and 196 days old, making him the second-oldest first-time number one after Australian John Newcombe.

Sinner of Italy decided to end his season at the beginning of October due to a knee injury, which made it possible for Zverev to unseat him.

And by defeating Martin Landaluce and Griekspoor in his first two games in Vienna, the big-serving Hamburg native made sure he accomplished just that ahead of the season-ending ATP Finals next month.

Congratulations to Alexander Zverev on reaching the top of the tennis world. His achievement reflects years of dedication, resilience, and outstanding performance—and marks an exciting milestone in his career.