Zverev secured top spot in ATP rankings for 2026 — BBC Sport

In Shanghai, China, tennis player Alexander Zverev secured first place in the final ATP rankings for 2026. This happened after Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz’s unexpected defeat to Belgian Zizou Bergs in the third round of the Shanghai Masters — 7:5, 7:6 (7:4), BBC Sport reports.

Alcaraz’s defeat decided the season’s outcome

Alcaraz retained a mathematical chance of overtaking Zverev in the battle for the year-end top spot, but after his exit in Shanghai, he will no longer be able to do so. Zverev himself has not yet overtaken Italy’s Jannik Sinner in the current rankings and cannot top them before 2 November.

Sinner, who is currently the world number one, has been ruled out for the rest of the year due to a knee injury. Zverev said that finishing the season at the top of the rankings had been his dream and noted the work he had done after returning from a serious ankle injury.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

Two Grand Slam titles in one season

The 29-year-old German won his first Grand Slam title in June by claiming the French Open. Last month, he also won the US Open. Before that, Zverev had lost three Grand Slam finals.

He will become the first German tennis player to finish the year at the top of the ATP rankings, as well as the oldest player to achieve this for the first time. After the injury he sustained in the 2022 Roland Garros semi-final, Zverev missed seven months, but he has remained continuously in the world’s top four since March 2024.

At the start of 2026, Alcaraz had 12,050 ranking points, Sinner had 11,500, and third-placed Zverev had 5,110. During the season, the Spaniard missed almost five months due to a wrist injury, while the Italian ended his season early because of knee problems.