Alexander Zverev is guaranteed to become the year-end ATP world number one, but 74 percent of tennis fans have delivered a brutal verdict, saying the German is not truly the best player in the world right now

Alexander Zverev is set to finish the year as the top-ranked men's tennis player and could claim the spot as soon as November 2.

However, the German has faced a harsh wake-up call from tennis supporters, who question whether he's genuinely the finest player on the planet. It's been an injury-ravaged campaign on the ATP Tour, with Carlos Alcaraz out of action for nearly five months due to a wrist problem, which forced him to skip the French Open and Wimbledon.

Reigning world No. 1 Jannik Sinner has been unavailable since July with a knee issue and recently called time on his entire 2026 season. During their time away, Zverev has capitalized on the situation, claiming his maiden Grand Slam titles — first at Roland Garros, then at the US Open.

He also came second to Sinner in the Wimbledon final, which proved to be the Italian's final appearance of the year.

Sinner was protecting thousands of ranking points toward the season's conclusion, having captured the Vienna Open, Paris Masters, and ATP Finals. As those points now drop off, Zverev will ultimately surpass him and ascend to the summit.

With the year-end No. 1 position already secured, the German now needs to advance to the semifinals of next week's Vienna Open to secure the top ranking on November 2.

If he exits any sooner, he will need to continue waiting for that achievement.

Whenever he ultimately claims the No. 1 ranking, readers of the Daily Express in the U.K. remain unconvinced that it truly mirrors Zverev's current form.

When polled by the outlet on whether the two-time major champion deserves recognition as the world's top player right now, a resounding 74 percent disagreed. Just 24 percent backed him, with the remaining voters left undecided.

Yet not everyone shares that view. Alcaraz recently floated the idea that Zverev deserved consideration as the planet's finest player.

Still, the 29-year-old German acknowledged his competitors have outperformed him when fully fit.

"It's a super nice thing to say, of course... But I don't really know what to answer to that. I try to do my job as best as I can. I try to play the best tennis that I can," he told Express Sport at last month's Laver Cup.

"I think, when everybody was healthy, Carlos won the Australian Open, Jannik was winning a lot of tournaments before the French Open, so I try to keep up with them. I try to do everything I can to be competitive with them. If they see me that way right now, that's a big honor."

Despite his impending ascent to world No. 1, Zverev hasn't managed a single victory against Alcaraz, Sinner, or Novak Djokovic in 2026.