Zverev becomes deserved world number one – but sense of discomfort remains

Alexander Zverev has been the best player in the world in men's tennis this year – but a sense of discomfort remains. Alexander Zverev spent 13 years waiting to win a Grand Slam title – then won two in three months Before this year, Alexander Zverev was, for many, the best male player never to have won a Grand Slam. He will end 2026 as a two-time major champion and deserved world number one. The 29-year-old has become the oldest man in more than 50 years to become world number one for the first time, with victories at the French Open and US Open providing the springboard. Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes aged four, his overdue Grand Slam breakthrough was a reward for persistence and intense hard work.

However, the new standard-bearer for men's tennis has been accused of physical abuse by two former partners, and been the subject of a major independent investigation by the sport. At the start of this year, Zverev was already an Olympic champion, two-time winner of the season-ending ATP Finals and a former world number two who had appeared in three Grand Slam finals. The most excruciating of those was the 2020 US Open final, in which he led Dominic Thiem by two sets to love but lost in a fifth-set tie-break after serving