Alexander Zverev seals world number one ranking, ending Sinner's reign
Alexander Zverev will become the men's world number one on Monday after beating Tallon Griekspoor 6-4 7-5 to reach the quarter-finals of the Erste Bank Open in Vienna. The 29-year-old is the second German to top the rankings, after Boris Becker in 1991.
Alexander Zverev made sure he will replace Jannik Sinner at the top of the ATP rankings on Monday with a 6-4 7-5 win over Tallon Griekspoor in Vienna. The German had already secured the year-end number one ranking when Carlos Alcaraz lost in Shanghai on 12 October.
Zverev, 29, is only the second German man to be world number one after Boris Becker in 1991, and the second oldest to reach the top for the first time. "It's been a wait but sometimes you have to wait for the best things in life," he said. "I'm super happy, super thrilled - I have no words for this year."
His season has included two Grand Slam titles, the French Open and the US Open, and 64 wins from 80 matches. At the start of the year that seemed unthinkable: Alcaraz and Sinner had shared all eight majors in 2024 and 2025, and Zverev, then third, was far behind them on points.
Both rivals then missed long stretches of the season through injury, opening the door. Zverev won both of his majors without facing either of them, and did not meet a top-10 opponent until beating Ben Shelton in the US Open final.