"Zverev should finish the year as world number 1"

Alexander Zverev is the player of the moment on the ATP tour. The German has recorded the best year of his career by winning his first two Grand Slams at Roland Garros and the US Open, bringing him closer to his next objective: taking the number 1 spot in the world from Jannik Sinner . In fact, Greg Rusedski believes 'Sascha' should finish the year at the top of the rankings, as he stated in comments that are bound to stir controversy.

In the live ranking, there are currently less than 2,000 points separating Zverev and Jannik Sinner. Moreover, it should be noted that the Italian player has been sidelined from the tour for the past few weeks due to a knee injury. 'Sascha' is charging towards that number 1, and if the player from San Candido does not recover in time for the Asian swing, the gap could close significantly. If Alexander maintains the consistency he is known for, he could surprise everyone and overtake him in the rankings, something Rusedski believes would be fair.

"In my opinion and from my perspective, Zverev probably should finish as the number one in the world, but he will need to play well at the end of the season. He still needs about three thousand five hundred to four thousand five hundred points to reach the top. He only has a 700-point lead over Jannik Sinner, and we still don’t know when Sinner will return. So, from my point of view, the unofficial number one is Zverev because he has performed better in the major tournaments, but he still has to earn it," Rusedski acknowledged in his podcast.

Zverev, in search of following in Boris Becker's footsteps

His statements also revolve around the Race, or in other words, the race for the number 1 spot of 2026. In that ranking, Zverev has a 700-point lead over Sinner, so everything will be decided in the final part of the season. However, 'Sascha's' goal is to become the ATP ranking leader to be the second German in history to achieve such a feat.

The first is none other than Boris Becker, who achieved it for 12 weeks in 1991. A tennis legend who has also defended Zverev in recent weeks to silence all those detractors who believe that ‘Sascha’s’ successes are solely due to Sinner and Alcaraz not being at 100%. All Alexander has done is his job, staying consistent and playing the best tennis of his career, so he cannot be blamed for anything. On the contrary, in fact. The icing on the cake would be a number 1 that would allow him to face 2027 with the peace of mind of having achieved all the dreams he set out to realize when he started playing tennis.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, "Zverev debería terminar el año como número 1 del mundo"