Alexander Zverev has been on the receiving end of mass criticism since becoming the world number one for the first time in his career.
Zverev, who captured two Grand Slam titles this season at Roland Garros and the US Open, officially rose to the top spot in the rankings following the conclusion of the Vienna Open. He became the first man from his country to do so since Boris Becker in 1991, and the first outside of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz to do so since Novak Djokovic in 2023.
But the German’s poor record against top 10 players, as well as his failure to beat either Sinner or Alcaraz in 2026, has led to many diminishing his achievements.
Patrick Mouratoglou defends Alexander Zverev amid criticism
After exiting the Paris Masters early recently, Zverev responded to the criticism, stating: “I feel like I’m the only world number in tennis history that has to explain why it’s OK for me to be world number one, which I find quite difficult, because I think I deserve to be where I am, even though I lost today.”
Coming to the 29-year-old’s defence on Instagram, Serena Williams’ former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, said: “Leave Zverev alone, he deserves to be number one. There are a lot of people criticizing the fact that Sinner and Alcaraz were out, that he didn’t beat many top 10s.
Which player do you think will win the 2026 ATP Finals?
“The guy who has the most points is number one in the world. Fair. He’s probably the guy who’s working the most. There were 128 players at every Grand Slam. Only one holds the trophy. He had the opportunity and he took it.
“Now the real challenge for him is to keep his number one spot with Alcaraz being healthy and Sinner coming back in January. And if he can manage to beat them, then everybody’s going to shut his mouth.”
Zverev has played Alcaraz just once this year, with their sole meeting coming in the semifinals of the Australian Open. Zverev served for the match against the Spaniard, but could not get over the line in a five-set marathon.
Against Sinner, however, Zverev has had very little joy, with five straight defeats recorded in meetings with the Italian in 2026. Across those five meetings, Zverev has taken just one set off Sinner, which he managed in the Wimbledon final.
Alexander Zverev’s first opponent at the ATP Finals
Zverev will now set his sights on the ATP Finals in Turin, where he will bid to win the year-end tournament for the third time, following triumphs in 2018 and 2021. Zverev was drawn in the John McEnroe group, which also consists of Ben Shelton, Arthur Fils and Rafael Jodar.
The first assignment for Zverev at the ATP Finals comes in the form of Jodar, whom he has faced just once before. Zverev first battled the Spanish youngster in the quarterfinals of Roland Garros, and beat him in straight sets.
Zverev will like his chances in the John McEnroe group, as he holds a 6-0 record against Shelton and leads Fils 5-2 at tour-level events. Zverev’s match against Jodar will take place this Sunday.
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