Alexander Zverev is set to become the 30th male player to reach world No 1 thanks to the announcement that Jannik Sinner’s season is over.
Zverev has more than capitalised on injuries to Carlos Alcaraz and Sinner in 2026 to become a two-time Grand Slam champion, but there is certainly a question mark over the star’s success this year.
The German is only 2-8 against top 10 players in 2026 despite his victories at Roland Garros and the US Open, having only beaten Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz.
As a result, many believe Zverev will be a weak world No 1 despite his obvious accolades, and Nicolas Mahut believes the German must prove himself when he’s at he summit of the ATP Tour.
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“He’s going to become world number one, and I’d like him to do it more brilliantly,” said Mahut in an interview with Eurosport France.
“Anyway, it’s not his fault . If Alcaraz’s level has dropped, if Sinner’s has dropped now, when he’s had the players he needed to beat to win a Grand Slam, he’s done it.
“He hasn’t necessarily played his best tennis, neither at Roland Garros nor at the US Open, but each time he was the favorite, he had the pressure on his shoulders, he embraced his status and won. In the end, you always get the ranking you deserve, that’s how tennis works.
“Yes, because it’s based on a year’s results. If he’s going to be number one in the world, it’s because he somehow deserves it. However, it’s true that when we look at their head-to-head matches, every time he’s faced Alcaraz, Sinner, or even Novak Djokovic last week, he’s lost.”
Mahut believes Zverev must topple the top players before the year is out in order to prove himself to peers and pundits.
“He’s going to become world number one, and I’d like him to do it decisively, to defeat Alcaraz in the ATP Finals,” explained the Frenchman.
“Moreover, on a surface that suits him, I think perhaps a little more, or at least more than Alcaraz, given the conditions in Turin. We’d like to see him beat Alcaraz in a final to prove that he’s truly the number one on the court. To ultimately reinforce his legitimacy. After that, you always get the ranking you deserve, so he’ll deserve it.”
Zverev has been beaten by Alex de Minaur, Fritz, and Carlos Alcaraz during the 2026 season. He’s also lost five separate times to Sinner, so the jury is certainly out when it comes to playing the best players on the ATP Tour.
Zverev continues his quest to become world No 1 at the Shanghai Masters, where he is the top seed.
