Alexander Zverev's 2026 campaign has already yielded two Grand Slam titles, at Roland Garros and the US Open, and those triumphs have carried him 700 points clear of Jannik Sinner in the ATP Race, the tour's season-long points standings. With the Italian temporarily sidelined by a knee injury, the German has been handed the perfect opportunity to close in on the top spot in the world rankings.
Critics have been quick to put Zverev's success down to the physical problems that have troubled Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Boris Becker, the German great, rejects that argument outright. Greg Rusedski, the former British number one, goes further, insisting that on the strength of his tennis this year, Zverev should end the season as world number one. To get there, he will need to collect between 3,500 and 4,500 more points before the campaign draws to a close. Should he succeed, he would become only the second German to hold the ranking, after Becker, whose historic 12-week reign at the summit came in 1991.
