It’s Monday, and the new ATP rankings have been released, with Alexander Zverev officially now at the top of the tree.
It had felt like a case of when rather than if once Jannik Sinner ended his season early, and now, despite losing in the semi-finals in Vienna, his ascension is complete.
However, there are many who argue it feels somewhat hollow and undeserved.
Questions remain over whether he can now use this triumph to kick on and remain a challenger even when Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are both fit, and they will likely only be answered in 2027.
For those who are of that mind, this latest statistic will certainly help prove their point further.
Alexander Zverev could make unwanted history as the world number one
After all, given his patchy form since winning the US Open, the German has yet to really exert his control over the ATP Tour properly.
He lost in the quarter-finals of the China Open, and the semi-finals in both Shanghai and Vienna; solid returns, but not as good as many would have expected from the ‘world’s best player’.
How long do you think Alexander Zverev keeps the number one ranking?
He is now guaranteed to be year end number one after Carlos Alcaraz’s shock loss in Shanghai…
And, if he is to truly prove to the world that he is deserving of this notion, Alexander Zverev must perform at the Paris Masters and ATP Finals, or potentially overtake an unwanted record currently held by Andy Roddick.
The American finished 2023 as the year-end world number one, but did so with a 72-19 record (79.1%). This remains, to this day, the worst winning percentage of a year-end number one.
Zverev currently has a win-loss record of 65-17, 79.3%.
If he does not maintain a positive run of form in his final two tournaments of the season, it will be he who is forced to bear this unfortunate burden.
Alexander Zverev has had to bide his time to become world number one
Zverev becoming the world number one came as a surprise to nobody, given how messy the ATP Tour has been all year.
Without Alcaraz for five months, and Sinner for potentially longer by the time this campaign is over, somebody had to step up. The 28-year-old had been a permanent fixture in and around the top ten for long enough to justify his being the chosen one.
| RANKING | PLAYER | POINTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alexander Zverev | 9,520 |
| 2 | Jannik Sinner | 9,450 |
| 3 | Carlos Alcaraz | 6,110 |
| 4 | Ben Shelton | 4,490 |
| 5 | Daniil Medvedev | 3,820 |
| 6 | Flavio Cobolli | 3,680 |
| 7 | Arthur Fils | 3,535 |
| 8 | Frances Tiafoe | 3,390 |
| 9 | Alex de Minaur | 3,370 |
| 10 | Rafael Jódar | 3,194 |
However, what’s particularly interesting about his rise is the fact that he has now become the oldest first-time world number one in over 50 years, last managed by John Newcombe in 1974, when he was 30 years old.
Speaking afterwards, he admitted: “It is a weird circumstance because of Jannik’s injury. This is not the way that you want to reach the top of the sport. Ideally, you would become World No. 1 when everybody is healthy and playing at their best. But now I am here: World No. 1.”
Zverev has since explained how it really feels to be the world number one, outlining his pride after achieving this feat in Vienna.
