Alexander Zverev is guaranteed to finish the 2026 season as the men's tennis world number one. This was confirmed after Carlos Alcaraz suffered a surprise defeat in the Shanghai Masters on Monday.
Alcaraz was beaten 7-5 7-6 (7-4) by Belgium's Zizou Bergs in the third round. Zverev, 29, expressed his delight, stating, "It's been a fantastic season for me. Knowing that I will finish the year on top of the rankings is just a dream come true."
The German secured his first Grand Slam title at the French Open in June and followed this with victory at the US Open last month. He will become the first German to end the year as number one and the oldest player to achieve this feat for the first time.
Zverev has taken advantage of injury problems faced by Spaniard Alcaraz and Italian Jannik Sinner, who have been dominant on the ATP Tour in the previous two seasons. Sinner has been ruled out for the rest of the year with a knee injury.