Alexander Zverev Set for First ATP World No. 1 Ranking

Alexander Zverev will rise to world No. 1 for the first time when the updated rankings are released on Monday, completing a long-awaited breakthrough at the top of men’s tennis. The 29-year-old German secured the points he required by beating Tallon Griekspoor on Thursday to reach the quarter-finals of the Vienna Open.

Zverev’s ascent ends more than a decade in which he experienced major successes, difficult defeats and a serious injury setback. He will become the 30th man to occupy the No. 1 position since the rankings were first published in 1973, and only John Newcombe was older when first reaching the summit. Newcombe was 30 when he became No. 1 in 1974.

A landmark moment after Vienna progress

The Vienna result meant Zverev did not need to wait for the end of the season to confirm his place at the top. He had been certain to finish the year at No. 1 after Jannik Sinner, who won the season-ending ATP Finals last year, ended his campaign early because of injury.

For Zverev, the new ranking carries a significance separate from lifting an individual trophy. “(It is) very special. To have the feeling to be on the top of the world is amazing,” he said.

“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.”

The German won his first two Grand Slam titles this year, adding the biggest prizes in the sport to a career that already included an Olympic gold medal. At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, he beat Novak Djokovic before defeating Karen Khachanov in the final.

His progress to No. 1 also follows a season in which he moved beyond the questions surrounding whether he could finally make the decisive Grand Slam breakthrough. Before this year, he had reached three major finals without winning one, including the 2020 US Open, the 2024 French Open and the 2025 Australian Open.

At the US Open in 2020, Zverev lost a five-set final to Dominic Thiem after leading by two sets. He later reflected on the difficulty he had experienced with his serve at that point. “That was exactly the time when I had real struggles with my serve and my second serve,” he said. “I knew that my serve could break down at any moment. That’s one difference that I do feel now, luckily for me.”

From setbacks to the top of the rankings

Born in Hamburg, Zverev comes from a tennis family: both of his parents played the sport to a high level in the old Soviet Union. He has credited them for their role in his development, saying: “For me, my family is everything and I owe them a lot for helping me to become the tennis player that I am today.”

His route has included major disruption. Zverev lives with diabetes and suffered a career-threatening ankle injury at the French Open in 2022, when he tore ankle ligaments during his semi-final against Rafael Nadal and subsequently underwent surgery. He returned in January 2023 and later won his 20th career title in Hamburg.

In 2024, he reached the French Open final and climbed to world No. 2. A straight-sets defeat to Sinner in the 2025 Australian Open final was another painful near miss, but Zverev said he retained belief that a major breakthrough was possible. After winning his second Grand Slam title of the year in New York, he said: “I believed in it. I believed that it’s possible.”

Now, after his Vienna Open quarter-final place confirmed the required ranking points, Zverev has added the sport’s highest individual ranking to his list of achievements.