Alexander Zverev will finally be able to say he is the best player in the world when the ATP rankings are updated on Monday, after securing number one status at the Vienna Open.

Zverev officially confirmed his place at the top of the rankings after defeating Tallon Griekspoor to reach the quarterfinals in Vienna. The German is set to be the first from his country to become world number one since Boris Becker in 1991, having recorded by far the best year of his career.

Zverev finally captured an elusive Grand Slam title at Roland Garros earlier this year and followed it up by reaching the Wimbledon final, before adding to his major tally at the US Open.

Alexander Zverev joins exclusive club by becoming world number one

By becoming the world number one, Zverev has just achieved a feat that neither Roger Federer nor Rafael Nadal can match. He has become just the fourth player in history to have won a Grand Slam title, an ATP Masters 1000 title, an Olympic gold medal, the ATP Finals title and the year-end number one crown.

The only other three players to have achieved all of the above are Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Andre Agassi. Zverev has captured seven ATP Masters 1000 titles in his career, as well as two ATP Finals titles and the 2021 Olympic gold medal in men’s singles.

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Zverev will be bidding to win his third ATP Finals title at this year’s edition of the event, which would see him match the all-time tallies of Boris Becker and John McEnroe. Jannik Sinner would have been seeking a third consecutive ATP Finals title this season, but will miss out due to a knee injury.

Zverev is one of three players already qualified for the ATP Finals, along with Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton, though Daniil Medvedev and Flavio Cobolli are closing in on qualification. Djokovic, who holds the joint record with Federer for the most ATP Finals qualifications (18), is in danger of missing out this year.

Alexander Zverev’s next opponent at the Vienna Open

Zverev’s next assignment at the Vienna Open comes in the form of Arthur Fery, whom he played for the first time in the semifinals of Wimbledon earlier this season. En route to his first final appearance at the All England Club, Zverev defeated the home hope in straight sets on the grass.

They will now have their first hard-court meeting in Vienna, where Fery picked up a statement win over Lorenzo Musetti to reach the quarterfinals. A week after Musetti won his first title in four years at the Lyon Open, the Briton overcame the Italian in three sets.

Zverev is seeking a third title of the season in an attempt to avoid an unwanted record. At the moment, he is on track to break the record for the fewest titles won in a season by a year-end number one, with two to his name. The record is four, recorded by Pete Sampras, Federer, Djokovic and Nadal.