Alexander Zverev has become the 30th man since 1973 to achieve the world number one ranking in singles.
Zverev, who has won two Grand Slam titles this year, accomplished the feat upon defeating Tallon Griekspoor in the Vienna Open round of 16.
The German’s position as the top-ranked player on the ATP Tour was confirmed on Monday; Zverev overtook five-time major champion Jannik Sinner, who is currently dealing with a long-term knee injury and will not compete for the rest of this year.
At 29 years old, Zverev is among the oldest players to have ever debuted as the world number one.
However, he is not the oldest to have accomplished the feat.
John Newcombe remains the oldest player to have debuted as the world number one
As per statisticians OptaAce, Zverev has become the second-oldest individual to achieve the world number one ranking for the first time.
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…
Zverev, who achieved the top spot while aged 29 years and 196 days, trails only John Newcombe in this category.
Newcombe, a seven-time major singles champion, overtook Ilie Nastase and assumed the top position on June 3, 1974, while aged 30 years and 11 days.
The five oldest male singles players to debut as world number one since 1973
- John Newcombe – 30 years and 11 days
- Alexander Zverev – 29 years and 196 days
- Andy Murray – 29 years and 176 days
- Thomas Muster – 28 years and 133 days
- Ilie Nastase – 27 years and 39 days
The Australian held the number one ranking for eight weeks before being overtaken by five-time US Open champion Jimmy Connors.
Alexander Zverev’s Paris Masters draw
Zverev will hope to cement his status as the best player on the planet with a title-winning campaign in Paris.
Zverev will begin his campaign against Lorenzo Musetti, who defeated Hubert Hurkacz in the first round.
Musetti, the former world number four, has been in excellent form as of late. The Italian recently won his third career title at the Lyon Open, before exiting the Vienna Open in second round.
Alexander Zverev’s projected path to the Paris Masters title
- R1: BYE
- R2: Lorenzo Musetti
- R3: Learner Tien
- QF: Alex de Minaur
- SF: Ben Shelton
- F: Carlos Alcaraz
The winner of Zverev and Musetti will play either Luca Van Assche, Learner Tien or Stefanos Tsitsipas in the third round.
