Alexander Zverev is guaranteed to decorativeness the 2026 play arsenic the satellite fig 1 aft Carlos Alcaraz's astonishment decision successful the Shanghai Masters.
German Zverev was connected people to ascent supra existent satellite fig 1 Jannik Sinner, who has been ruled retired for the remainder of the twelvemonth with a genu injury.
Alcaraz inactive had a mathematical accidental of stopping Zverev until helium was beaten 7-5 7-6 (7-4) by Belgium's Zizou Bergs successful the 3rd circular connected Monday.
"It's been a fantastic play for me. Knowing that I volition decorativeness the twelvemonth connected apical of the rankings is conscionable a imagination travel true," said Zverev.
After losing 3 large finals, Zverev landed the archetypal Grand Slam rubric of his vocation by winning the French Open successful June, and followed that with triumph astatine the US Open past month.
The 29-year-old has taken vantage of the wounded problems suffered by Spaniard Alcaraz and Italian Sinner - the ascendant brace connected the ATP Tour successful the erstwhile 2 seasons - to go the world's starring player.
Zverev cannot overtake Sinner until 2 November astatine the earliest.
He volition go the archetypal German to extremity the twelvemonth arsenic fig one, and the oldest subordinate to execute the feat for the archetypal time.
After suffering a superior ankle wounded successful the 2022 French Open semi-finals which kept him retired for 7 months, Zverev regained his spot successful the precocious echelons of the athletics and been ranked wrong the apical 4 continuously since March 2024.
"So overmuch enactment and effort person been enactment into achieving this goal, particularly aft coming backmost from the ankle injury. I look guardant to finishing the play successful style," helium said.
English (US)·