ATP Alexander Zverev Jannik Sinner Novak Djokovic ranking ATP

Zverev's defeat to Djokovic gives Sinner a chance for the number one spot

Andrés Tomás Rico - 4 Oct 2026
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Zverev's defeat against Djokovic gives Sinner a chance at the number one spot. Photo: Getty Images

Alexander Zverev clearly knew what the recipe was to achieve the number one spot in the ATP ranking: to win at the ATP 500 in Beijing and the Masters 1000 in Shanghai. After Jannik Sinner's withdrawal from both tournaments, and looking at the draw he had in the Chinese tournament, his chances were more real than ever. However, he faced a certain Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals, who showed his best version of the year and defeated him 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.

This defeat, therefore, prevents Zverev from conquering the number one in the world in Shanghai and the Asian tour. So he will have to wait for the indoor European tour, where he will have several opportunities, as long as Sinner does not participate, something that remains uncertain as of today.

Zverev has many chances to become number one in the world on the indoor European tour

In the best case, if Zverev wins the Masters 1000 in Shanghai, he would be very close to the number one spot, as he would only be 100 points behind Sinner. In Vienna, the first European stop of the tour, Sinner is defending the 500 points for being the champion and Zverev is defending the 330 points for being the finalist. Considering the physical condition of the Italian, his participation in the Austrian tournament, on the verge of the Masters 1000 in Paris and the ATP Finals, is very much in the air. And if the player from San Candido does not participate in the tournament, the German would automatically become number one in the world.

But we will have to see Zverev's performance in Shanghai first. If he does not win the title, he would still have opportunities to dethrone Sinner in Vienna or a few days later at the Masters 1000 in Paris. It is worth noting that throughout the indoor European tour, the Italian is defending a total of 3,000 points, while the German is only defending 980 points.
 

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, La derrota de Zverev contra Djokovic da vida a Sinner por el número uno