Alexander Zverev Rises to No. 1 in Men's Tennis

Alexander Zverev finally did it. The 29-year-old German rose to No. 1 in the ATP rankings on Monday, capping a season in which he won the French Open and the US Open and shook off the "greatest player never to win a Grand Slam" label for good, the AP reported.

It took a while. Zverev first reached No. 2 more than four years ago, and he is guaranteed to finish the year on top. Now he walks into the Paris Masters this week as the man everyone is chasing.

"I had to wait," Zverev said. "But sometimes you've got to wait for the best things in life. I'm super happy, super thrilled."

A Season That Changed Everything

Zverev beat Flavio Cobolli for the French Open title in June, in his fourth major final. In September he beat Ben Shelton to win the US Open at Flushing Meadows. He also reached the Wimbledon final, losing to Jannik Sinner, and made the Australian Open semifinals.

The numbers that matter: he is 65-17 this year, and he is the 30th man to reach No. 1. He is also the oldest player in more than 50 years to get there for the first time, trailing only John Newcombe, who was 30 when he hit the top spot in 1974.

He joins Boris Becker as the only German men to reach No. 1. And the resume beyond the majors was already deep: two ATP Finals titles, an Olympic singles gold medal and seven Masters 1000 trophies. Zverev, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 4, has been one of the tour's most consistent players for years. This season he finally turned that into the biggest trophies.

Sinner Slides, Jodar Climbs

Sinner had held No. 1 since April 13 and drops to No. 2, ahead of Carlos Alcaraz. Sinner ended his season three weeks ago because of inflammation in his right knee, so he will not be in Paris to answer back.

The other big mover is Rafael Jodar. The 20-year-old Spaniard climbed to No. 10 less than a year after his tour debut at the Australian Open. His 287 days from debut to the Top 10 broke Gustavo Kuerten's record of 490 days.

Zverev's rise also comes with history off the court. Two of his ex-girlfriends accused him of physical abuse. A 2020 accusation was resolved through an agreement between German prosecutors, Zverev's lawyers and his former partner, and the ATP's own investigation into another case concluded in January 2023 that there was insufficient evidence.

First Test as No. 1: Musetti in Paris

Zverev's first match as No. 1 comes in the second round of the Paris Masters, where the ESPN draw has him facing Lorenzo Musetti. Musetti earned that spot on Monday by beating Hubert Hurkacz 7-6, 7-6. Alcaraz is also into the second round in Paris.

Paris is the last Masters event of the year, and with Sinner out, Zverev has a clear lane to start his reign with another big title.

The Smacktok Pick

Musetti just needed two tiebreaks to get past Hurkacz, while Zverev comes in as the new No. 1 with a 65-17 record. Lean Zverev to win the match in Paris.

For years Zverev was the guy who was always right there. As of Monday, he is the guy at the top of the list, and nobody can take this one away from him.