Zverev clinches year-end No. 1 ranking after Alcaraz loss and with Sinner out injured

Associated Press

Oct 12, 2026

Alexander Zverev, of Germany, returns a ball to Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, during the men's singles quarterfinals match at the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Alexander Zverev, of Germany, returns a ball to Shang Juncheng, of China, during the second round of the men's singles match at the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Alexander Zverev, of Germany, reacts during the men's singles quarterfinals match against Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, at the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Alexander Zverev of Germany celebrates his victory against Cameron Norrie of Britain during their men's singles match at the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

SHANGHAI (AP) — Alexander Zverev clinched the year-end No. 1 ranking on Monday to cap a breakout year in which he won his first two Grand Slam titles.

Helped by a season-ending injury to Jannik Sinner, the 29-year-old Zverev will become the oldest player to achieve the year-end honor for the first time, the ATP Tour announced.

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Zverev is currently No. 2 but will overtake No. 1 Sinner before the season ends next month. The first possible date that Zverev could become No. 1 is Nov. 2 — while he is mathematically certain of the top spot by the season's final rankings on Nov. 23.

Zverev became assured of finishing No. 1 when No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz was beaten by Zizou Bergs at the Shanghai Masters.

Zverev won the French Open and U.S. Open titles this year and also reached the Australian Open semifinals and the Wimbledon final.

Before this year, his best Grand Slam results 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.

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“So much work and effort have been put into achieving this goal, especially after coming back from the ankle injury,” Zverev added, referring to when he severely twisted his right ankle during a 2022 French Open semifinal against Rafael Nadal and was pushed away in a wheelchair.

Zverev is next due to play Alexander Bublik in Shanghai on Tuesday.

Sinner, who hasn’t played since beating Zverev in the Wimbledon final in July, announced last week that he is sitting out the rest of the season due to inflammation in his right knee.

In 2024, Zverev finished as year-end No. 2 for the first time.

Zverev's ascension to the top ranking comes after two of his ex-girlfriends accused him of physical abuse.

One case was resolved following an agreement between German prosecutors, lawyers for Zverev and his former partner. The ATP Tour investigated another case and in January 2023 concluded there was insufficient evidence.

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