Alexander Zverev said Monday that rising to world number one was a special feeling as he heads into the Paris Masters guaranteed to be top of the pile come the end of the year.
German Zverev had been tipped to become one of the dominant forces of men's tennis but a combination of injuries and the rise of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz had left him without a Grand Slam victory until he triumphed at this year's French Open.
Now 29, Zverev added the US Open to his trophy haul in September and on Monday celebrated on court with the ATP world number one trophy at the Paris Masters, where he is top seed.
"When I won my first Grand Slam, it was different kind of emotions... I had a lot of heartbreaks, a lot of tough moments, I had a lot of losses in the finals. So that was a different kind of feeling," Zverev told reporters.
"To finally make it, it was the biggest relief that I have ever felt in my career. But both trophies are individually special and individually different, because winning a Grand Slam is the biggest tournament that we can win in tennis.
{{/usCountry}}"To finally make it, it was the biggest relief that I have ever felt in my career. But both trophies are individually special and individually different, because winning a Grand Slam is the biggest tournament that we can win in tennis.
{{/usCountry}}"But this, you have to play the best season for an entire year. It's a completely different feeling, but this feels special, as well."
Zverev will kick off his Paris Masters campaign on Wednesday against Italy's Lorenzo Musetti, with whom he has lost three of his five matches.