Rankings, as it is often said in elite sport, don't always reflect the true picture. Sometimes, though, they truly do.
When Temba Bavuma's men dethroned the Australians from the top of the Tests tree, they did so by destroying them on a manic last day of the memorable series. Are South Africa, who swept past India in India and rallied to beat the Aussies at home, the best men's Test team at present? Undoubtedly so.
When Elena Rybakina dethroned Aryna Sabalenka from the top of the WTA chart at this season's last Grand Slam, she backed it up by defeating the two-time defending champion in the final. Is Rybakina, the 2026 US Open winner who also picked up a WTA title in Ningbo, the best women's tennis player at the moment? Hard to argue.
When Alexander Zverev guaranteed his rise to the top of the ATP rankings with a Round of 16 win in Vienna last week, he followed it with a semi-final defeat to Alex de Minaur. Is Zverev, the two-time major winner of a season in which he will end as the world No.1, the best male player currently?
On paper, and on Monday's latest ATP rankings, he sure is. The German French Open and US Open champion became the 30th member in the elite top club after knocking off the 29th, Jannik Sinner. At age 29, Zverev is the second-oldest first-time world No.1 (after John Newcombe in 1974), who scaled the peak four years after first reaching the second position – a nice tick to his perseverance.
On paper, however, some numbers cannot be overlooked.
{{/usCountry}}On paper, however, some numbers cannot be overlooked.
{{/usCountry}}Zverev's loss in Vienna to de Minaur, the world No.8 Australian who Carlos Alcaraz brushed aside a day later in the final, was his ninth defeat in 12 matches against top 10 opponents so far. The only players in that ranking he has managed to take down this year are Ben Shelton (for the US Open title), Taylor Fritz (at Wimbledon) and de Minaur (in Shanghai). None of them were in the top 5 at that time.
Zverev’s losses have come at the hands of de Minaur (twice), Fritz, Alcaraz and Sinner. He is 0-5 against Sinner and 0-1 against Alcaraz this year, having been halted by both in the two Slams that the lanky German did not capture. Sinner and Alcaraz have taken turns to be sidelined at different points this season due to injuries, and the context of their absence was not lost on Zverev himself after winning the US Open.
Asked if he believed he was the world’s best player then, he replied, “With Sinner injured and Alcaraz coming back after four months, right now, probably yes. Both of them healthy and both of them at the top of their game? Maybe not."
Zverev, on his part, did well to cash in on the missing younger rivals and finally unlock the Slam triumph he had been craving for years.
And yet, he hasn't quite cashed in to script a dominant season. The kind his year-ending world No.1 predecessors had. Alcaraz finished 2025 as the world No.1 with a 71-9 win-loss statement. Sinner went 73-6 in 2024, and Novak Djokovic signed off 2023 at 56-7.
Zverev's 65-17 record so far, even if it is his most successful season with room to improve the wins in a couple more ATP tournaments, has a lot more losses. Losses also include those to Alexandra Davidovich Fokina, Tommy Paul, Tallon Griekspoor, Luciano Darderi and Miomir Kecmanovic, to name a few of his lower-ranked opponents.
And against top 10 opponents, his 3-9 record sticks out like a sore thumb in comparison to Alcaraz in 2025 (17-4), Sinner in 2024 (18-5) and Djokovic in 2023 (17-3).
What also stands out is the trophies cabinet. Zverev has two titles so far, both through solid Slam shows around patchy performances on the tour. In 2025, Alcaraz had 8 titles, including two Slams and three ATP Masters. Sinner had the same volume in 2024, topping it with the ATP Finals. In 2023, Djokovic had seven titles, sliced into three Slams, two Masters and the ATP Finals cherry.
The season-ending Finals, starting in a couple of weeks, is bound to carry greater significance for Zverev. He is now the world No.1, and will be the world No.1 to close the year. A title at a stage where he is set to run into a pack of top 10 opponents will provide a much-needed stamp to his summit spot.