VIENNA — Alexander Zverev is going to be the world No. 1 tennis player. The 29-year-old German guaranteed his ascent to the top of the ATP rankings on Thursday evening, beating Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor 6-4, 7-5 in the last 16 of the Vienna Open to make certain he will overtake Jannik Sinner when the new rankings are published on Monday, according to Reuters.
The victory, sealed with an ace after one hour and 35 minutes on Centre Court, ends one of the longest waits in modern tennis. Zverev becomes only the 30th man to reach world No. 1 since the rankings were introduced in 1973, and the second German man to do so after Boris Becker, who spent 12 weeks at the summit in 1991.
Table of contents
- The match that sealed it
- A long road to the summit
- A season of breakthroughs
- How the door opened
- What comes next
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Sources
- Related reading
The match that sealed it
Zverev needed to reach the Vienna quarter-finals to be certain of passing Sinner, and he delivered under the weight of the occasion. He broke Griekspoor's serve at the decisive moments of both sets, holding his nerve in a second set that stayed on serve until late.
The closing moments carried a touch of farce before the celebration. At match point, a Zverev smash caused part of the electronic board behind Griekspoor to malfunction; after the umpire covered the faulty panel with a towel, Zverev finished the job with an unreturnable serve. What followed was a ceremony on court, where he was joined by his team and by Thomas Muster, the only Austrian man ever to top the rankings, to mark the achievement.
"To have the feeling to be on the top of the world is amazing," Zverev said afterwards. "It is different than winning a tournament or a title, but it is such a special feeling to know that the No. 1 is going to be next to your name when the new rankings come out. Sometimes you have to wait for the best things in life."
A long road to the summit
Few players have waited as long, or endured as much, on the way to No. 1. Zverev first threatened the summit in 2022, when he reached the French Open semi-finals and stood within sight of the top ranking — only to tear ankle ligaments in that semi-final against Rafael Nadal, an injury that ended his season and stalled his career for months.
At 29 years and six months, he will be the second-oldest first-time world No. 1 in the history of the rankings, behind only Australia's John Newcombe, who was 30 when he climbed to the top in 1974. For years Zverev was cast as tennis's nearly-man: a gifted player with a huge serve and a glittering junior career who could not quite convert his talent into the sport's biggest prizes. That narrative has now been dismantled in a single remarkable season.
Boris Becker, the only German man to have held the position before him, dismissed suggestions that Zverev does not deserve the ranking. Speaking on his podcast, Becker said Zverev would "rightfully and highly deservedly" take over the top spot, adding: "He fights, he plays, he works."
A season of breakthroughs
Zverev's 2026 campaign has been the finest of his career. He broke his Grand Slam duck by winning both the French Open and the US Open, the two titles that had eluded him for a decade at the top level. Thursday's win over Griekspoor was his 64th victory of the season against 16 defeats — a tour-leading tally — and his 13th quarter-final appearance of the year, also the most on the ATP Tour.
He had already been assured of finishing the season as the year-end world No. 1 earlier in October, when an early exit for Carlos Alcaraz at the Shanghai Masters removed the last mathematical obstacle. But the Vienna result makes the ascent official and immediate: on Monday, the rankings will carry his name at the top, with Sinner second.
How the door opened
Zverev would be the first to acknowledge that circumstance played a part. Sinner, the incumbent No. 1, decided to end his season in early October to recover from a knee injury, removing the Italian from the run-in. Alcaraz, the world No. 3, was ruled out for four months earlier in the year, missing both the French Open and Wimbledon, and only returned to action in Vienna this week — where he saved four set points to beat Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-1, 7-6(11) earlier on Thursday.
Yet opportunity still had to be seized, and Zverev seized it relentlessly. He opened his Vienna campaign by beating Martin Landaluce, then handled Griekspoor with the composure of a player who has learned to win the matches that matter most. His consistency across the whole season — deep runs on every surface, week after week — is what ultimately carried him past two younger rivals who, between them, won every Grand Slam title across the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
What comes next
The job in Vienna is not finished. Zverev faces Britain's Arthur Fery in Friday's quarter-finals, after Fery beat Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 in a gruelling two hours and 44 minutes. Whatever happens in that match, Zverev's place at the top is secure — and the season-ending ATP Finals next month will now begin with the sport's newest No. 1 as its headline act.
For German tennis, the moment carries a particular resonance. Thirty-five years after Becker's reign, another German will stand alone at the top of the men's game. For Zverev himself, the wait — through injury, near-misses and years of doubt — is finally over.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will Alexander Zverev officially become world No. 1?
When the new ATP rankings are published on Monday, 2 November 2026. His win over Tallon Griekspoor in Vienna guaranteed he will overtake Jannik Sinner, regardless of his remaining results at the tournament.
How many men have reached world No. 1 before Zverev?
Zverev will be the 30th man to top the ATP rankings since they were introduced in 1973. The most recent previous entrant to the club was Jannik Sinner, in June 2024.
Who was the last German man to be world No. 1?
Boris Becker, who spent 12 weeks at No. 1 in 1991. Zverev is the second German man ever to reach the summit.
What titles did Zverev win in 2026?
He won his first two Grand Slam titles, at the French Open and the US Open, and has recorded a tour-leading 64 match wins this season.
Why did Sinner lose the No. 1 ranking?
Sinner ended his 2026 season early in October to recover from a knee injury, leaving the door open for Zverev to pass him in the rankings during the autumn indoor swing.
