Alexander Zverev will finish 2026 as the world number one in men’s tennis for the first time in his career.

The German was guaranteed the year-end top spot on Monday after Carlos Alcaraz lost his third-round match at the Shanghai Masters.

It caps a brilliant season for the 29-year-old, who is currently ranked second in the world.

Zverev won the French Open in June, which was his first Grand Slam title, before adding the US Open crown in September.

In a statement shared by the ATP Tour, Zverev described finishing the year on top as a dream come true.

He also said a lot of work went into reaching this goal, especially after his return from a serious ankle injury.

Zverev badly hurt his ankle during his 2022 French Open semi-final, an injury that threatened his career.

He will become the first German man to end a season as world number one.

He will be the oldest player to claim the year-end top ranking for the first time, with the trophy set to be presented in November.

On the women’s side, Germany’s Steffi Graf and Angelique Kerber have both finished the year at number one.

Zverev’s breakthrough comes in a season when the last two men to hold the number one spot, Jannik Sinner and Alcaraz, both missed months of action due to injury.

Sinner, the current world number one, has not played since beating Zverev in the Wimbledon final.

The Italian confirmed last week that a knee injury has ended his season.

Alcaraz, ranked third, was out with a wrist problem from April until the US Open.

Standing at 1.98m, Zverev was tipped for the top from a young age.

He comes from a tennis family, with both parents having played the sport at a high level in the former Soviet Union.

However, his career has been shadowed by domestic violence allegations from two former partners, which he has strongly denied.

The ATP investigated one claim and found not enough evidence to punish him.

A German court issued a 2023 penalty order and fine, but the case was dropped after a settlement was reached in June 2024.