Zverev becomes world number one, first German man since Becker
On 2 November 2026 Alexander Zverev took the ATP world number one spot, the first German man to hold it since Boris Becker.
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Alexander Zverev moved to the top of the ATP rankings on 2 November 2026. He became the first German man to be world number one since Boris Becker, who first reached the position in January 1991, 35 years earlier.
The change came after Jannik Sinner, who had been number one since April, and Carlos Alcaraz were both reported to be out for months with injuries. Alcaraz's loss to Belgium's Zizou Bergs in Shanghai was cited as a key result. Zverev, aged 29, became one of the oldest players to reach the top for the first time.
The milestone mattered because Zverev had spent years as a leading contender without a Grand Slam title or the top ranking. It also revived debate in Germany about his place beside Becker, whose public comments on Zverev had often been critical.
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Becker–Zverev dispute over world number one · 3 updates
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