LONDON (AP) — Alexander Zverev finally rose to the No. 1 spot in the males’s tennis rankings on Monday, a reward for a dominant season during which he turned a two-time Grand Slam champion.
Zverev beat Flavio Cobolli for the French Open title in June in his fourth main remaining, months before the 29-year-old German defeated Ben Shelton to elevate the US Open trophy at Flushing Meadows in September.
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Those triumphs finally put to relaxation the underachiever tag pinned on his back for years, when he was extensively regarded as “the greatest player never to win a Grand Slam.” Zverev, who is assured to end the season as No. 1, also reached the remaining at Wimbledon this 12 months, falling to Jannik Sinner, and the Australian Open semifinals.
He turned the thirtieth male participant to attain No. 1, and the oldest in more than 50 years to high the rankings for the first time. Zverev only trails John Newcombe, who was 30 years previous when he reached the high spot in 1974.
“I had to wait,” said Zverev, who reached the summit of the rankings more than 4 years after turning into No. 2. “But sometimes you’ve got to wait for the best things in life. I’m super happy, super thrilled.”
In addition to his two Grand Slam titles, Zverev has won many other important trophies. The record contains two ATP Finals titles, an Olympic singles gold medal and seven Masters 1000 trophies. He holds a 65-17 document this 12 months.
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Zverev is just the second German man to become No. 1 after Boris Becker.
Sinner, who had been holding the high spot since April 13, dropped to second, forward of Carlos Alcaraz. Sinner announced the finish of his season three weeks in the past because of irritation in his proper knee.
Zverev, who was recognized with Type 1 diabetes at age 4, is set to compete in his first event as No. 1 at the Paris Masters this week.
Among other notable strikes in the rankings, 20-year-old Spaniard Rafael Jodar climbed to No. 10 less than a 12 months after making this Tour debut at the Australian Open. Jodar set a document for the quickest rise from debut to the Top 10 — 287 days — breaking Gustavo Kuerten’s mark of 490 days.
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Abuse allegations
Zverev’s ascension to the high rating comes after two of his ex-girlfriends accused him of bodily abuse.
One accusation from 2020 was ultimately resolved following an settlement between German prosecutors, attorneys for Zverev and his former associate. The ATP Tour investigated another case and in January 2023 concluded there was inadequate evidence.
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