Zverev will be the second oldest tennis player in history to reach number 1

Alexander Zverev will fulfill one of the great dreams of his life by reaching the number 1 in the ATP rankings. When it seemed that the German's hopes were fading, his good performance in a season marked by the injuries of Sinner and Alcaraz brings him an unusual success for players of his age.

While it is true that the longevity of professional tennis players has increased significantly in recent decades, it is not common to reach the top of the rankings for the first time at such an advanced age as Alexander Zverev will. The German has had to face the Big 3, Murray, stellar moments of Medvedev, who reached that position years ago, and the emergence of two generational talents like Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.

Zverev, the third tennis player to reach number 1 for the first time at the age of 29

All of this delayed his major successes, which have arrived in 2026, when many had already given up hope of seeing Sascha win Grand Slams and become the number 1 in the world. For a player who has conquered the ATP Finals, Olympic gold, and numerous Masters 1000, achieving these two milestones completes a historic career. 

It is particularly striking to note how unusual it is to savor the sweetness of being number 1 in the world for the first time at the age that Zverev will. It is only a matter of time before he achieves it, knowing that it will happen before the year ends, which will make him the third player in history to accomplish this at the age of 29.

Currently, Zverev is 29 years and 173 days old (as of October 10, the date this article is written), which guarantees that he will become the second oldest player of all time to reach number 1 for the first time since Sascha will reach the top in a few weeks. He surpasses Andy Murray on this list, who achieved it at 29 years and 176 days old, on November 7, 2016, after winning the Paris Masters 1000 and the ATP Finals.

📊 Les joueurs les plus âgés au moment de vivre leur première semaine à la tête du classement ATP : 1⃣ John Newcombe* 🇦🇺 : 30 ans et 11 jours 2⃣ Andy Murray 🇬🇧 : 29 ans et 176 jours 3⃣ Thomas Muster 🇦🇹 : 28 ans et 133 jours 4⃣ Ilie Nastase* 🇷🇴 : 27 ans et 35 jours 5⃣ Patrick Rafter 🇦🇺 : 26 ans et 210 jours 6⃣ Daniil Medvdev 🇷🇺 : 26 ans et 17 jours 7⃣ Yevgeny Kafelnikov 🇷🇺 : 25 ans et 74 jours 8⃣ Andre Agassi 🇺🇸 : 24 ans et 346 jours 9⃣ Stefan Edberg 🇸🇪 : 24 ans et 206 jours 🔟 Gustavo Kuerten 🇧🇷 : 24 ans et 85 jours ✍️ * Le premier classement ATP a été publié en août 1973 : Ilie Nastase fut le premier N°1 de l'Histoire et John Newcombe avait déjà 29 ans et 3 mois à l'époque.

— Jeu, Set et Maths (@JeuSetMaths) September 15, 2026

John Newcombe is the oldest tennis player in history to reach number 1 for the first time in his career

Above the British player, and soon over Zverev, stands only John Newcombe. It is important to put an asterisk next to this fact since in the first official ATP ranking published in August 1973, the number 1 was Ilie Nastase and the Australian was already 29 years and 3 months old. In any case, it is quite remarkable that more than a year later, he managed to reach the top of the rankings at an age when, back then, people thought more about retirement than about successes of that caliber.

It does not seem likely that anyone will surpass John Newcombe at any moment as the oldest debutant at number 1 in history since many factors must align. What is clear is that Alexander Zverev has earned a privileged place in the history of tennis for his tenacity in pursuing one of his great dreams, which has always been to be number 1 in the ATP rankings.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Zverev será el segundo tenista más veterano de la historia en llegar al número 1