Alexander Zverev is set to become the world No.1 for the first time on Monday, replacing Jannik Sinner at the top of the ATP rankings after securing enough points at the Vienna Open.
Zverev will be 29 years and 195 days old when he officially takes the top spot, making him the second-oldest first-time world No.1. Andy Murray reached the same milestone at 29 years and 176 days old almost exactly a decade ago. John Newcombe remains the oldest debutant world No.1, achieving the feat 11 days after his 30th birthday in 1974, displacing Ilie Nastase.
30th player to top ATP rankings
Zverev becomes the 30th player to top the ATP rankings, and just the second German after Boris Becker, who spent a combined 12 weeks at the top during 1991 while swapping places with Stefan Edberg.
Zverev guaranteed his place by beating Tallon Griekspoor in the Vienna Open second round. Sinner's last match was a win over Zverev in this summer's Wimbledon final, with a knee injury forcing him to end his season prematurely in early October.
Season-ending injury seals Zverev's rise
Sinner's announcement that he would miss the rest of the season all but assured Zverev would become world No.1 before the year ended, with Sinner unable to defend the points he earned by winning the ATP Finals, China Open, Paris Masters and Vienna Open late last year.
Zverev reached the quarter-finals in Beijing and the semi-finals in Shanghai, losing on both occasions to the eventual champion, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Novak Djokovic.
Zverev reflects on reaching top spot
Speaking in an on-court interview after beating Griekspoor, Zverev said: "I had to wait, but sometimes you've got to wait for the best things in life. It is how it is; I'm super happy."
He added: "This year? I have no words for this year. I'm just thankful, I'm happy."
He concluded: "It is different from winning a tournament or a title, but it's such a special feeling to know that the No. 1 is going to be next to your name when the new rankings come out."
After securing the year-end No.1 ranking in Shanghai, Zverev said: "It's been a fantastic season for me, winning in Paris and New York and knowing that I will finish the year on top of the rankings is just a dream come true. So much work and effort have been put into achieving this goal, especially after coming back from the ankle injury [suffered at Roland Garros in 2022]. I look forward to finishing the season in style."
