Alexander Zverev has launched a stinging attack on critics who claim he does not deserve to be the new No 1, after admitting he is ‘annoyed’ by the snipes coming his way in recent days.

Zverev climbed to the top of the rankings for the first time in his career after Jannik Sinner confirmed he would not compete again in 2026 due to a knee injury.

This has also been a year that saw Carlos Alcaraz miss over four months due to a wrist problem and there have been plenty of comments both on social media and in the mainstream media suggesting Zverev’s rise to the top of the rankings is due to the injuries to the ‘Big 2’ in men’s tennis.

Those comments have clearly riled him, as he made his point in a press conference following his 7-6(5), 6-2 defeat against Lorenzo Musetti in the Paris Masters.

After being asked if he felty stress during the defeat against an impressive Musetti, Zverev was quick to claim he experienced a different emotion.

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“Stress, I don’t know if stress,” he started. “I was a bit annoyed, to be honest, the last couple of days, because, you know, achieving the world No 1 status is something that I think every player dreams of, but then I feel like I’m the only world No 1 in tennis history that has to explain why it’s okay for me to be world No 1. I find it quite difficult because I think I deserve to be where I am, even though I lost today.

“I don’t think anybody had to explain themselves as much as I had to do in the last couple of days, which for me, is annoying, to be honest.”

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Former US Open finalist Greg Rusedski has leapt to Zverev’s defence after the pessimism that has been flowing in his direction, as he heaped praise on the German in the latest edition of his podcast.

“You win two Slams, more Slams than anybody,” declared Rusedski. “Usually going to be world No 1 if you do that and also the season-end world No 1.

“It’s just perseverance, consistency. Semi’s the Australian Open and he should have beaten Alcaraz, served for the match at 3-5 in the final set.

“Then he wins the French Open when Sinner goes out and Alcaraz isn’t playing. Everybody said, ‘you should win, you should win’. He handled the pressure beautifully to win his first major.

“Then he made the finals at Wimbledon, where he served like a dream and Sinner had to play his best to win that final. Then he backed it up by winning his second major in New York.

So for me, no question marks over Zverev. Anybody who wants to say something different, good luck to you. Try to be No 1 in the world in anything and win two majors. Well deserved for the German.”

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