Since recapturing world number one status by beating Carlos Alcaraz in the Monte-Carlo Masters final earlier this year, Jannik Sinner has reigned supreme atop the ATP rankings.
The Italian has spent a total of 24 weeks as the world number one, during which he has clinched two ATP Masters 1000 crowns, as well as a second consecutive Wimbledon title. His overall tally of weeks at number one is now 90, which ranks 10th all time.
Sinner has been largely untroubled at the top spot since Alcaraz suffered a wrist injury that kept him sidelined for four months. But now, after his US Open triumph, world number two Alexander Zverev is really applying the pressure.
How quickly Alexander Zverev can become the world number one
Sinner currently has a points tally of 11,500, which is set to fall to 11,000 after his withdrawal from the China Open, where he is the defending champion. Zverev, on the other hand, has 9,690 ATP points to his name and has the chance to gain more in Beijing following his quarterfinal exit there last year.
Should Zverev win the China Open, only 910 ATP points will separate him and Sinner. His first chance of becoming the world number one will come at the next tournament, the Shanghai Masters, but it relies on Sinner withdrawing.
If Sinner pulls out of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament, he will lose 50 ATP points, bringing his overall total down to 10,950. Zverev, who is also defending 50 points in Shanghai, would then need to win the tournament to leapfrog Sinner in the rankings.
Discuss: Alexander Zverev will finish his career with _ Grand Slam titles?
He’s just won his second at the US Open!
Should Zverev achieve the feat, he will become the first German male player to reach the world number one spot since Boris Becker in 1991. Across men’s and women’s tennis, Zverev would be the first German player since Angelique Kerber in 2017.
He would also snap the dominance of Sinner and Alcaraz by becoming the first player outside of the ‘new two’ to be world number one since Novak Djokovic in 2023.
Alexander Zverev’s record at the Shanghai Masters over the years
Zverev will have to win the Shanghai Masters for the first time in his career if he is to become the world number one. His record at the tournament over the past few seasons has been poor, with three consecutive early exits in 2023, 2024 and 2025.
In his prior campaign in 2019, Zverev reached the final of the Shanghai Masters, beating Roger Federer en route. He ultimately lost to Daniil Medvedev in the championship match, losing in straight sets to the Russian.
Zverev’s next best in Shanghai came in 2018, when he was knocked out in the semifinals by Djokovic. The Shanghai Masters is one of the four ATP Masters 1000 tournaments Zverev has yet to win. He has won titles in Madrid, Rome, Canada, Cincinnati and Paris, but never Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo or Shanghai.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
Add to Preferred Sources 