Alexander Zverev's long wait for the top ranking has ended following his run to the quarter-finals at the Vienna Open. The German will officially overtake Jannik Sinner on Monday, November 2, becoming the 30th world No. 1 since the ATP Rankings were launched in 1973. At 29 years and six months old, Zverev will be the second-oldest man to reach the summit, trailing only John Newcombe, who was 30 when he topped the rankings in 1974.
The decisive moment arrived on Thursday evening during the ATP 500 event in Austria. Zverev defeated Tallon Griekspoor with a score of 6-4, 7-5 in the round of 16, moving his total to 9,450 ranking points. This result placed him level with Sinner on points, but ATP rules awarded the No. 1 position to Zverev because he has won two Grand Slam titles compared to the Italian's one.
Following his victory over Griekspoor, Zverev expressed his emotions regarding the achievement. He described the feeling of being at the top of the world as amazing and distinct from winning a tournament title. "It is very special," Zverev stated. "I'm super happy and super thrilled to know that the No. 1 is going to be next to my name when the new rankings come out." He noted that while he was focused on multiple reasons for his motivation, reaching the top spot was a significant subject, adding that he played a very good match.
Zverev's path to this milestone has been marked by resilience. He previously peaked at No. 2 in 2022 but missed his chance to become world No. 1 after the French Open due to a severe ankle injury sustained during his semi-final against Rafael Nadal, which ruled him out for the remainder of that year. After dropping in the rankings, he gradually recovered over the following years.
At the start of 2026, Zverev trailed significantly behind Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. However, with Alcaraz unable to defend his French Open title or compete at Wimbledon due to a wrist injury, Zverev climbed back to No. 2 midway through the campaign. He subsequently closed the gap on Sinner, who missed the second half of the season because of a knee problem. Reflecting on the journey, Zverev remarked that sometimes one must wait for the best things in life, expressing gratitude and happiness for his accomplishments this year.
Sources: Tennis365.