Alexander Zverev is on the verge of joining the exclusive ATP No 1 club and, while some have raised questions about whether or not he deserves it, Carlos Alcaraz is “really happy about it”.
With current world No 1 Jannik Sinner unable to defend his ranking points during the second half of the season due to a knee injury and Alcaraz missing the bulk of the first half of the campaign because of a wrist problem, that has opened the way for Zverev to rise to the top.
The German, who was more than 7,000 points behind Sinner and Alcaraz at one point, is just 100 points behind Sinner in the Live ATP Rankings and he can move ahead of the Italian by reaching the quarter-final of the Vienna Open this week.
But even if he doesn’t get the job done in Austria, he will become world No 1 ahead of the ATP Finals with his rise coming on the back of winning the French Open and US Open.
Alexander Zverev News
Alcaraz, who is now a distant third in the rankings after missing the French Open and Wimbledon, was asked about Zverev taking over at the top and replied: “Well deserved, to be honest.
“Tennis is not only about stepping on the court and playing, and trying to play better, or the best player who plays that day is the best. It is about the consistency you have during the whole year.”
Besides winning the two majors, Alcaraz also believes the 29-year-old’s ability to consistently reach the business end of events and his “great physical condition” have been key to his success with the German rarely injured.
“There are some players who have a better style, better level. And there are some players that have better physical conditions. And, I would say, Sascha has both, you know, great, great level, and great physical condition, because he’s able to play the whole year, making finals, week after week, and not getting injured, or not getting fatigued, and keep winning, keep winning during the whole year.
“So, I would say, it is really well deserved, two-time Grand Slam champion this year, and, yeah, like I said, I’m just really happy about it, because I know how hard he’s been chasing that achievement, and, I would say, is, I really well deserved.”
