Zverev and other surprising number 1s at the end of a season

Alexander Zverev has secured a place in the Olympus of the Tennis Gods as he will become one of the 20 players in history to finish a year as number 1 in the world. The German's case in 2026 has been very surprising, but there are other instances of players who stormed to the top and ended the year there without being favorites to do so.

While it is true that Alexander Zverev will become the 30th man to savor the sweetness of being number 1 in the ATP ranking, only 20 of them, including Sascha, will know what it is like to end a season in that position. Well-known players such as Moyà, Ferrero, Safin, Kafelnikov, Newcombe, or Becker did not manage to finish a year at the top of the ranking.

Therefore, what Zverev has achieved is a significant achievement, regardless of the context and the way it has happened. Few were betting on the German to finish 2026 as number 1 in the world, as Sinner and Alcaraz attracted all the favoritism for it. It can be said that Sascha is one of the most surprising cases of players who end a year leading the official ranking.

Who are the most surprising number 1s at the end of a season in tennis history?

The first year in which there was an ATP ranking was 1973, with Ilie Nastase taking advantage of the opportunity to validate his title at Roland Garros and finish that year above players like Newcombe or Connors, who had earned the right to do so. Everything was very close, but the Romanian spent 40 consecutive weeks at the top of the list, finishing that year in first place.

Then came the empires of Connors (from 1974 to 1977) and McEnroe (from 1981 to 1984), with two years of Borg in between during which the Swede was the master of world tennis. Thus, in 1985 it can be considered surprising that Ivan Lendl, who won only one Grand Slam that year (the US Open), managed to stop McEnroe's momentum as number 1 at the end of the season.

The Czech held that position in four of the five years between 1985 and 1989, being surprised by Mats Wilander in 1988, a splendid year for the Swede as he won 3 of the 4 Grand Slams of the season. 

Perhaps the most surprising case can be attributed to Jim Courier, who in 1992 managed to stop Edberg's two consecutive years at the top of the list and became the precursor to Sampras's empire, who would be number 1 for six consecutive years. Champion in Australia and Paris, the American dazzled in tennis and finished ahead of both Stefan and Pete.

One must go to the year 2000 to find another of the great surprises in this field, such as seeing Gustavo Kuerten finish the year as number 1. He was supposed to be a consummate clay court specialist, but he managed to maximize his title at Roland Garros that season, finishing ahead of Safin and Sampras.

This was the beginning of a period between wars, which was a pause between the end of Sampras and Agassi's hegemony and the start of Federer's era. Lleyton Hewitt took advantage of it to finish two consecutive years as number 1, at just 20 and 21 years old, which was considered a significant surprise by many.

In 2003, the last number 1 for an "earthbound" player was recorded, as Andy Roddick clinched it in a fierce battle until the last moment with Juan Carlos Ferrero, who had reached the top of the list after the US Open, and with Federer. Both fell short by less than 330 points from the Nebraskan cannonball.

A special mention deserves Andy Murray's number 1 at the end of 2016. The Brit managed to break the Big 3's dictatorship with an explosive finish to the season, winning in Paris and the ATP Finals, and battling Djokovic for the number 1 spot in a single match. That season, the Dunblane native won 9 titles, including Wimbledon and 3 Masters 1000, as well as the ATP Finals and Olympic gold.

In short, the history of tennis is filled with cases of players who finished a season as number 1 in the world when few believed they would achieve it. Alexander Zverev has seized his opportunity in 2026 to make history and inscribe his name in gold letters in the annals of this sport.

Tennis players who finished at least one season as number 1 in the world

• Novak Djokovic: 8

• Pete Sampras: 6

• Roger Federer: 5

• Jimmy Connors: 5

• Rafael Nadal: 5

• Ivan Lendl: 4

• John McEnroe: 4

• Björn Borg: 2

• Lleyton Hewitt: 2

• Stefan Edberg: 2

• Carlos Alcaraz: 2

• Andre Agassi: 1

• Jannik Sinner: 1

• Jim Courier: 1

• Gustavo Kuerten: 1

• Andy Murray: 1

• Ilie Nastase: 1

• Mats Wilander: 1

• Andy Roddick: 1

• Alexander Zverev*: 1 (2026)

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