Alexander Zverev is set to rise to the top spot in the ATP rankings for the first time in his career after recording his best-ever season.

Zverev captured his first two Grand Slam titles in 2026 after several near-misses over the years, emerging triumphant at Roland Garros and the US Open. The German also recorded his deepest campaign at Wimbledon this season, surpassing his prior personal best, a fourth-round finish, by reaching the final of the Championships.

Despite securing world number one status, Zverev has not beaten either Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz on the ATP Tour this season. He lost to the Spaniard in their sole meeting of 2026 at the Australian Open and has come up short in each of his five clashes with the Italian.

Patrick Mouratoglou praises Alexander Zverev’s 2026 season

Amid claims from some fans that Zverev does not deserve to be the world number one, Serena Williams’ former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, has come to the 29-year-old’s defence. “Zverev might not be the best player, but he’s the number one in the world, and he fully deserves it,” Mouratoglou said on Instagram.

“The first way I rate the situation is that your ranking is your value. If others are injured, bad luck for them. Staying healthy when you’re a professional athlete is a real skill. Your health and your fitness are part of it.

“There are the same discussions about Rafa. Oh, if Rafa would not have been injured, he would have won X Grand Slams. Yeah, but there is no if. He’s number one because he deserves to be number one. Do I think that the two other guys are better than him? Yes, but they’re not number one. He’s number one.

“He won Roland Garros, and then the US Open. Technically, there were 128 guys who could win it and he did. Twice. He also showed a lot of mental qualities. He didn’t play well, but he won the tournament and that’s a huge quality. Tennis is a very mental sport.

Give us one bold prediction for the final months of the 2026 tennis season!

“We had questions about how strong Zverev was. He had so many occasions to win Grand Slams and he just didn’t make it. So at some point, people started to think, oh, well, maybe mentally he’s not able to. And I think this year there was a real breakthrough.

“Twice during the season, first at Roland Garros, suddenly Alcaraz and Sinner are out and that’s a once-in-a-lifetime occasion. And he made it. It was the first big breakthrough. And then again at the US Open, Alcaraz and Sinner were out.

“So again, he became the number one favourite and he made it a second time. So I think he really showed a lot of mental strength this year, which is something that he was not able to show in the past. Maybe he’s not the best player, but he’s the number one in the world.”

Zverev has taken just one set off Sinner this year, which he managed in the Wimbledon final. He took two sets off Alcaraz in their Australian Open semifinal meeting and even served for the match, but failed to get over the line.