Zverev, one of the "worst" number 1s in tennis history?
The German continues to receive criticism that seeks to undermine the merit of finishing the season as number 1, but there are data that do not support those theories.
Alexander Zverev is not the most charismatic and beloved tennis player in the world, but that should not interfere with the assessment of his successes. Reaching world number 1 at the age of 29 after years of tenacious struggle against himself and the best in history, the German will finish the year in that position and has two Grand Slams in his trophy cabinet. Enough reason not to be even close to being one of the worst number 1s in tennis history. But there’s more.
It is impossible to please everyone. This is a maxim that Alexander Zverev must have strongly internalized to overcome the criticisms he continuously receives for various reasons. Some he may have earned, while others are completely unfounded, but the truth is that the German is in the eye of the storm, and even having reached glory, there exists an air of unpopularity around him.
What are the most common criticisms of Zverev that diminish his merits?
Many believe that his Grand Slam titles this season and the fact that he ends the year as number 1 in the ATP ranking are merely situational, a mere accident resulting from the injuries of Alcaraz and Sinner. They reinforce that theory with his negative record against top-10 players (a surprising 3-9 so far this year), the lack of substantial improvements in his tennis, the easily accessible rivals he has had in major tournaments, and even in subjective aspects like what he conveys on the court or his personal life controversies.
No. 1 looks good on you, @AlexZverev ☝️🔝 #RolexParisMasters https://t.co/lfjh8ca1JJ
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) November 2, 2026
The truth is that by coldly analyzing the data, we realize that among the 30 players who have been number 1 in the history of this sport, a total of 11 did not finish a season in that position, which would be enough to place them below the German in that fictitious qualitative ranking of number 1s.
Aside from that, it should be mentioned that Alexander Zverev has two Grand Slam titles in his résumé, regardless of whom he had to defeat to achieve them. From the list of 30 world number 1s, there are 4 who won just one title of this category (Andy Roddick, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Carlos Moyà, and Thomas Muster), while Marcelo Ríos never conquered a Grand Slam.
🇩🇪 Alexander Zverev had a 68–19 (78.16%) W-L record in the 52 weeks before reaching ATP No. 1. 🇪🇸 Carlos Moya has the worst record at 52-29 (64.2%), while 🇺🇸 Jimmy Connors boasts the best with 101-10 (90.99%) [Thread 2/5] https://t.co/n6B130sOOx
— TennisMyLife (@TennisMyLife68) November 2, 2026
Why is it a mistake to consider Zverev as one of the less brilliant number 1s in tennis history?
As if all this were not enough to outright deny that Alexander Zverev is one of the worst, or least good, number 1s in tennis history, it suffices to retrieve a statistic provided by TennisMyLife, in which the win-loss balance of each of the 30 men who reached the top of the ATP ranking in the 52 weeks preceding that milestone for the first time is reflected.
Sascha does not rank among the best, far from it, but there are 9 players with a worse record than his in this regard. It is clear, therefore, that Alexander Zverev should be valued as he deserves, regardless of how his rise to the glory of world tennis has unfolded. In the coming months, he will have the opportunity to prove to the world whether he rightfully belongs to the upper tier of the ATP ranking in tennis history.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Zverev, ¿uno de los "peores" números 1 de la historia del tenis?