Tennis | Alexander Zverev: The long road to the top of the world rankings

Celebrations in Vienna: Alexander Zverev – the new number one Photo: imago/Branislav Racko In the end, a second round win against Tallon Griekspoor was enough. After the 6:4, 7:5 against the Dutchman in Vienna it was clear: Alexander Zverev is the new number one in the tennis world. The Hamburg native will officially take the lead in the world rankings on Monday – and will be the first German to do so 35 years after Boris Becker. At the same time, he replaces the legend from Leimen as the record holder: Zverev will be at the top for at least 13 weeks. Only the women were better in this country: Angelique Kerber led the world rankings for 34 weeks, the global record holder Steffi Graf for a total of 377 weeks.

Zverev's path seemed predetermined: his parents Alexander and Irina also played tennis professionally. In 1991 they moved from Moscow to Hamburg, where their son Alexander was born six years later. His brother Mischa, born in the Soviet Union in 1987, also represented the Zverev name well in the world of white sports. At Uhlenhorster HC, Alexander emulated him - and also made it to number one in the world rankings among the juniors.

“Sometimes you have to wait for the best things in life,” said Zverev after his victory in Vienna. In 2016 he won his first title on the ATP tour, and a decade later he sits on the tennis throne at the age of 29. Since the world rankings were introduced in 1973, he was ranked 30th overall. The circle of those who were number one among both juniors and men is even more elite: only six players achieved this: Ivan Lendl, Stefan Edberg, Marcelo Rios, Roger Federer, Andy Roddick - and Alexander Zverev.

At the moment of great success, Zverev remained pleasantly reflective. »I would be an idiot to sit here and say that I was as good as Jannik Sinner. That wasn't me. I was the second best player because Carlos Alcaraz was injured and couldn't play." His biggest competitors, the Italian Sinner and the Spaniard Alacaraz, were slowed down by injuries this year; in 2025 they had played all four Grand Slams between themselves. But as we all know, suffering is part of sport. Zverev's performance is constantly influenced by type 1 diabetes. Lack of joy in life, loneliness, states of exhaustion – he made his mental problems public about a year ago. In addition, Zverev is burdened by allegations of physical violence by two former partners, which, however, could never be sufficiently proven.

Being constantly exposed to public interest is certainly not easy, and in difficult times it is probably not possible without courage. In any case, Zverev has made this quality even better on the tennis court. He has always been good, as evidenced by numerous titles and triumphs such as the 2021 Olympic victory in Tokyo. But now he plays more actively and aggressively. »I changed my game this year. At 29 years old. I don't think everyone would do that," he said in Vienna and stated: "The year is of course a dream." True enough: he followed up his long-awaited first Grand Slam victory at the French Open in Paris with a second one at the US Open in New York. And now he is number one.

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