Alexander Zverev set to finish 2026 as world No. 1 after Alcaraz loses in Shanghai
Alexander Zverev will finish the 2026 season as ATP world No. 1, the second German to top the rankings after Boris Becker. Carlos Alcaraz's loss to Zizou Bergs in Shanghai on Monday, 12 October, removed the last mathematical doubt.
Two defeats settle the race
Alexander Zverev, 29, from Hamburg, will finish the 2026 season as world No. 1, after the ATP confirmed that no remaining rival can overtake him. Ben Shelton lost to Arthur Géa on Sunday, 11 October, and on Monday, 12 October, Carlos Alcaraz lost 5:7, 6:7 (4:7) to Zizou Bergs in Shanghai, ending the last theoretical chances of both players. The ATP's calculation, reported by the sports news agency SID, settled the question. The race was opened by Jannik Sinner, the current No. 1 from South Tyrol, who announced an early end to his season because of ongoing knee problems in a video message on social media.
- Boris Becker takes world No. 1 for the first time after beating Ivan Lendl at the Australian Open
- Zverev wins his first Grand Slam title at the French Open in Paris
- Zverev wins the US Open in New York, beating Ben Shelton in the final
- Ben Shelton loses to Arthur Géa in Shanghai
- Zizou Bergs beats Carlos Alcaraz 5:7, 6:7 (4:7), removing Alcaraz's last mathematical chance
Two Grand Slam titles and an ankle injury
Zverev won his first Grand Slam title at the French Open in Paris in June. In early September he won the US Open in New York, beating Shelton 6:3, 7:6 (7:2), 5:7, 6:2 in the final. Zverev's career was in doubt after a serious ankle injury in 2022. Speaking about the season, he said:
It is a fantastic season for me. I won in Paris and New York, and knowing that I will end the year at the top of the rankings is simply a dream come true.
He also pointed to the road back from that injury:
We put so much work and effort into reaching this goal, especially in the return after the ankle injury.
Becker's record and the first German at the top
Boris Becker first led the ranking on 28 January 1991, after beating Ivan Lendl at the Australian Open. Reports differ on his total that year, giving twelve weeks in most accounts and eleven in N-tv. Zverev would be the 30th player to lead the ranking since its introduction in 1973 and only the second German after Becker. He would also be the first German to finish a season at No. 1. Becker, now 58, had congratulated Zverev days earlier, after Sinner announced his season was over and before the ranking outcome was mathematically certain.
What remains of the season
Sinner cannot defend his points from last year in the remaining tournaments, and the two players are 1,280 points apart, according to 20 Minuten. Zverev has far fewer points to lose, so he is expected to overtake Sinner regardless of his results in the coming weeks. The earliest point for that is the ATP tournament in Vienna, where he needs at least a final to stand at No. 1 on 2 November. Before that, he meets Alexander Bublik in the Shanghai round of 16 on Tuesday, 13 October. He then plans to play the Masters in Paris and the ATP Finals in Turin for the best eight players of the year. The Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia follows Shanghai as his next event, but it carries no ranking points.
