Zverev: "Everyone expected the battle for number 1 to be between Sinner and Alcaraz"

Alexander Zverev arrives at the ATP Beijing as the top favorite to lift the title after winning the US Open and accumulating points to end the year as world number 1 at the expense of Jannik Sinner. The Italian's knee injury has left the German in a position where if he wins in Beijing, he will arrive at the Shanghai Masters 1000 with a chance to be number 1, something he is very aware of and feels proud of.

The German tennis player has played the best tennis of his career to win the first two Grand Slams of his career in 2026, and now his mission is to fulfill another of his great dreams: to reach the top of the ATP ranking. Despite no one counting on him, the circumstances have allowed him to have everything in his favor to take the throne from Sinner, and the first step is to overcome Cameron Norrie in his debut in China.

Zverev crashes the party of Alcaraz and Sinner for the number 1

Improvements in ATP Beijing compared to previous years

Since COVID, the facilities have improved a lot. We have a completely new building and new restaurants. We have much more space. I think the tournament has always been good, but now it is exceptional. It is fantastic to see. I feel that the tournament has evolved considerably beyond the tennis courts.

Battle for number 1 against Sinner

It’s a goal for anyone. I think that at the beginning of the season, everyone expected that battle to be between Carlos and Jannik, so I’m very happy to be in that conversation (smiling). Of course, yes, it is something I have in mind. As I have said so many times this year, the only thing I can control is playing good tennis, performing well on the court, trying to feel good out there, and doing everything I can to prepare to play good tennis. Everything else will fall into place. Certain factors also come into play, so I’m just going to try to focus on winning the matches I can.

Zverev talks about his mindset change after winning at Roland Garros and the US Open

After winning Roland Garros, your mindset changes because you feel like you have already won one. Right after Roland Garros, I reached the Wimbledon final. I truly felt that I could win again. Before winning the first one — especially at my age, as I was 29 years old and still am — you wonder if it will ever happen or not, but those doubts have disappeared. As you probably saw on the court, I enjoyed New York much more than Roland Garros. At Roland Garros, I felt a lot of tension. I was very nervous. In contrast, in New York, I simply enjoyed being there. I enjoyed being in the final of a Grand Slam. I truly felt different there compared to the previous Grand Slams.

Changes during the season

It’s hard to put it into practice here because I just arrived yesterday, so I’ve only had one training session. Tomorrow I play a match. But I think that, in general, my style of play and the way I have played tennis this year have changed a lot. I have said it before: my team and I sat down and decided to play different tennis this year. I think it turned out to be the right decision; it has been beneficial for me. Of course, I will keep doing it. I will continue to work on certain aspects. I think there are things that other players do better than me, and I will try to improve on those.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Zverev: "Todo el mundo esperaba que la lucha por el número 1 fuese entre Sinner y Alcaraz"