Alexander Zverev recently took the number two ranking from Carlos Alcaraz but things could change depending on what happens at the ATP Finals.
Zverev has had another strong year on the ATP Tour and has risen to a career-high ranking of second in the world.
The German won two Masters 1000 titles this year, his most recent success coming earlier this month as Zverev beat Ugo Humbert to win the Paris title.
He once again failed to pick up a Grand Slam however, as Zverev lost the French Open final to Alcaraz in straight sets.
Despite his inability to win his first Major, Zverev reached number two in the world, replacing French Open and Wimbledon champion, Alcaraz.
An achievement that one former top ten ATP star thinks is well deserved.
Former world number eight John Isner was asked whether he thought Alcaraz would be annoyed to be ranked lower than Zverev despite winning two Grand Slams in 2024.
“The answer is no,” he said.
“We all know how good Sascha [Alexander Zverev] is at these Masters 1000’s, he’s won seven of them now after winning Paris, which is insane, how consistent he’s been at those level tournaments.
“But Alcaraz won two slams, if he finishes three in the world, he’ll be just fine with that, not annoyed at all.”
Isner went on to say that he believes Zverev deserves his number two ranking.
“Sascha on the other hand, he’s had everything other than a Slam, we know how good he is, he’s so good at these Masters 1000 events,” he said.
“You know for me he deserves to be number two right now.”
Zverev will take to the court in Turin as the most successful ATP Finals player at the event, having won the title twice before in 2018 and 2021.
He is a member of an elite group who have won the event more than once.
Name | Titles |
Novak Djokovic | 7 |
Roger Federer | 6 |
Ivan Lendl | 5 |
Pete Sampras | 5 |
Ilie Nastase | 4 |
John McEnroe | 3 |
Boris Becker | 3 |
Bjorn Borg | 2 |
Lleyton Hewitt | 2 |
Alexander Zverev | 2 |
To win the title for a third time would put Zverev in even more elite company, but will face some tough opposition if he wants to do so.
Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are hot favorites for the event, with the pair sharing all four Grand Slam titles in 2024 between them.
Zverev has won just once against Alcaraz or Sinner in 2024, getting the better of the Spaniard in Melbourne earlier this year.
Since then he has lost two further matches to Alcaraz and came up short in his only contest with the Italian this year.
He’ll need to find a way to get the better of his rivals if he wants to add to his impressive two ATP Finals titles and maintain his lead over Alcaraz in the rankings.
Zverev will begin his ATP Finals campaign against Andrey Rublev on Monday, with Alcaraz taking on Casper Ruud.
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