By Richard Pagliaro | Monday, October 12, 2026
Photo credit: Pete Staples/USTA
The ATP 2026 season will go down as the year of Alexander Zverev.
The 29-year-old Zverev made history today officially clinching the year-end world No. 1 ranking to become the first German man to secure the season-ending top spot. It is the first time Zverev, an eight-time, year-end Top 10 player, rises to No. 1.
Zverev, who joins Boris Becker as the second German to rise to No. 1, is also the oldest man to seal the year-end top spot.
“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. “So much work and effort have been put into achieving this goal, especially after coming back from the ankle injury.
“I look forward to finishing the season in style.”
Two-time major champion Zverev will be 29 years, 217 days old on the date of the year-end ATP Rankings, which is November 23rd. Zverev he will be three days older than Andre Agassi in 1999 (29 years, 214 days) and 20 days older than Andy Murray (29 years, 197 days), when the Briton dramatically clinched the 2016 ATP year-end No. 1.
Belgian Zizou Bergs upset world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz in Shanghai today, which clinched Zverev’s rise past current No. 1 Jannik Sinner to the top spot. Sinner, who has been sidelined with a right knee injury since successfully defending Wimbledon with a four-set win over Zverev, was the 2024 year-end No. 1. Alcaraz finished as year-end No. 1 in both 2022 and 2025.
It’s been a transformative season for Zverev, who bounced back from a gut-wreching Australian Open semifinal loss to Alcaraz in January to deliver the best season of his career.
A courageous Alcaraz overcame apparent mid-match cramping, twice vomited into his towel, rallied from 3-5 down in the final set and reeled off four games in a row fending off Zverev 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 6-7(4), 7-5 in a mind-blowing Melbourne marathon semifinal.
Undaunted, Zverev came back to beat Flavio Cobolli in the French Open final and capture his maiden major crown at Roland Garros in June before bowing in the Wimbledon final to Sinner. Zverev fended off Ben Shelton to win his second title of the season at the US Open.
Former Olympic gold-medal champion Zverev joins Alcaraz, Sinner and Grand Slam king Novak Djokovic, an eight-time year-end No. 1 champion, as the fourth active man to hold the ATP season-ending top spot.
“Finishing the season as year-end No. 1 is the ultimate achievement in our sport,” ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said. “Congratulations to Sascha, who became just the 20th player to do so. For a decade, he has consistently been one of the best players in the world.
“To finish as year-end No. 1 for the first time aged 29 shows his grit and determination to continue pushing forward.”
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