After claiming his first two Grand Slam titles this year, Alexander Zverev enters the Asian swing knowing he is in the mix to end the year as world No.1.
The German is currently leading the PIF Race to Turin by 700 points and is second in the official rankings, just under 1400 points behind Jannik Sinner. Sinner has been sidelined from action in recent weeks due to a knee issue and hasn’t played since Wimbledon. Meanwhile, world No.3 Carlos Alcaraz is on the comeback from injury, with this week’s Japan Open being only the second ATP singles event he has played since April.
“I think at the beginning of the season everybody expected that battle to be between Carlos and Jannik, so I’m very pleased that I’m in that conversation,” Zverev said of the year-end No.1 race. “I’ve said it so many times this year, the only thing that I can control is playing good tennis, playing well on the court, trying to feel well on the court and trying to do everything I can to prepare myself to play good tennis. Everything else will fall into place.
“I’m just going to try to focus to win the matches that I can.”
Zverev heads into the China Open with 56 Tour-level wins in 2026, which is more than any other player. Besides winning both the French Open and US Open, he was also runner-up at Wimbledon. Outside of the majors, his best run was to the final of the Madrid Open in May.
“After winning the French Open, your mind changes because you feel like you’ve won one. Straight after the French Open, I made it to the finals of Wimbledon. I really felt like I could win again,” he explained.
“I am 29 years old, you have question marks about whether it’s ever going to happen or not. But those question marks are not there anymore.
“I was enjoying New York a lot more than I was enjoying the French Open. At the French Open I had a lot of stress. Whereas in New York, I was just enjoying being there.”
As for the key factor in Zverev’s surge in success, he links it to the work he has done with his team and their approach this season. His father, Alexander Zverev Sr., coaches him. Both of his parents were professional tennis players for the Soviet Union before moving to Germany. Zverev’s brother Mischa is also a former player.
“Me and my team sat down together and we decided to play different tennis this year,” he explained.
“I think it proved to be the right thing to do. It proved to be beneficial for me.
“Of course, I’m going to continue working on certain things. I think there are certain things that other players do better than me, and I’m going to try to improve them.”
Zverev will play Cameron Norrie in his opening match at the China Open on Thursday.
