SHANGHAI (AP) — Alexander Zverev officially secured the year-end No. 1 ranking on Monday, concluding a successful season where he captured his first two Grand Slam titles. Due to a season-ending injury to Jannik Sinner, Zverev will become the oldest player to achieve this honor for the first time, as announced by the ATP Tour.
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Zverev, currently ranked No. 2, will surpass Sinner, who is ranked No. 1, before the season concludes next month. The earliest Zverev can officially become No. 1 is November 2, although he is already mathematically guaranteed the top position in the final rankings on November 23. His path to the top was solidified when third-ranked Carlos Alcaraz lost to Zizou Bergs at the Shanghai Masters.
This year, Zverev won the French Open and U.S. Open titles while also reaching the semifinals at the Australian Open and the final at Wimbledon. Prior to this year, his best results in Grand Slam tournaments were three finals.
“It’s been a fantastic season for me winning in Paris and New York and knowing that I will finish the year on top of the rankings is just a dream come true,” Zverev said. He acknowledged the hard work put in after recovering from a significant ankle injury sustained during the 2022 French Open semifinal against Rafael Nadal.
Zverev is set to face Alexander Bublik in Shanghai on Tuesday. Sinner, who has not competed since defeating Zverev in the Wimbledon final in July, announced last week that he will not return for the rest of the season due to right knee inflammation.
In 2024, Zverev finished as year-end No. 2. His rise to the top ranking comes amidst allegations of physical abuse from two former partners. One case was resolved through an agreement, while the ATP Tour investigated another and concluded in January 2023 that there was insufficient evidence.