Alexander Zverev, 29, will end 2026 as world number one after winning the French Open and US Open this year, two major titles in three months. Before 2026, he was widely regarded as the best male player never to have won a Grand Slam. He has become the oldest man in more than 50 years to reach world number one for the first time.
Zverev was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age four. His long-awaited major breakthrough came as a reward for persistence and intense hard work. However, the new face of men’s tennis has been accused of physical abuse by two former partners and has been the subject of a major independent investigation by the sport.
How 10 days with Nadal changed his on-court approach
At the start of this year, Zverev was already an Olympic champion, a two-time winner of the season-ending ATP Finals and a former world number two. He had also appeared in three Grand Slam finals. The most painful of those was the 2020 US Open final, where he led Dominic Thiem by two sets to love before losing in a fifth-set tie-break. He served two double faults as his opponent began to cramp.
For years, he struggled to play with the freedom and attacking intent that often appears in big matches on the ATP Tour. This year, he promised himself, would be different. He would hit the ball with more speed, take greater risks and use more variety in rallies.
The change began with 10 days he spent with Rafael Nadal and Toni Nadal in Mallorca in July 2025.
“I wanted to see and then hear a new vision of what tennis in their mind looks like – and how my tennis, in their mind, looks like,” Zverev explained.
“Rafa, for example, played against me for 10 years. So now, as a spectator and also as an opponent, he can probably give you the best advice anybody can, because he knows what it’s like to be on the court with me.”
Anxiety still surfaced at times, including cramping during the French Open final against Flavio Cobolli in June. This time, however, Zverev made no mistake in the deciding set, winning it 6-1 to claim his long-awaited first major trophy.
A family affair
Zverev’s success is a family affair. His father, Alex Sr, has been a near-constant presence in the coaching box. His older brother, Mischa, who also played on the ATP Tour, has joined the team since retiring. The relationship has come full circle: Zverev was once a toddler sitting courtside as Mischa practised with Andy Murray as a junior.
Zverev has said his relationship with his father works so well because they spend “zero time together” off court.
“The big difference with my parents is that they never forced me to do anything,” Zverev once recalled.
“They wanted me to play different sports so they didn’t have to coach me. They always told me ‘why don’t you play football, or field hockey?’ as that was the sport I loved.
“They are very smart. They’ve been through it. They’ve been tennis players themselves.”
Zverev also reached the Wimbledon final, where he played the best tennis of his year. He was aggressive and daring in a four-set defeat by Jannik Sinner on Centre Court. He will need to bring the same approach to future meetings with Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Zverev has lost 10 consecutive matches to Sinner. If he and Alcaraz are fit for the start of next season, his challenge will be to make 2027 a three-way battle for the major titles.
A polarising world number one
Zverev has faced serious allegations in the past. In October 2020, his former partner Olga Sharypova accused him of physical violence and controlling behaviour. Zverev has maintained his innocence from the start and called the allegations baseless.
No legal proceedings followed. The ATP Tour opened a major investigation carried out by third-party investigators, which found “insufficient evidence to substantiate published allegations of abuse”.
“Based on a lack of reliable evidence and eyewitness reports, in addition to conflicting statements by Sharypova, Zverev and other interviewees, the investigation was unable to substantiate the allegations of abuse,” the ATP said in January 2023.
The ATP later appointed a director of safeguarding. This year, it launched a new safeguarding programme to create a “clear, global framework for preventing and responding to abuse, including cases of harassment, bullying, domestic violence and other forms of misconduct”.
In October 2023, a German court issued Zverev a penalty order and fined him 450,000 euros (£392,000) for bodily harm against another former girlfriend, Brenda Patea. Zverev denied the claims and contested the order. A public trial began in Berlin in May 2024.
A week into the process, the court ended the proceedings without reaching a verdict. The court said there had been a settlement between Zverev and Patea.
“The decision is not a verdict and it is not a decision about guilt or innocence,” the court said.
“One decisive factor for the court decision was that the witness [Zverev’s ex-partner] has expressed her wish to end the trial.”
Zverev reached the French Open final on the day the settlement was announced. Earlier in the tournament, he had described the trial as a chance to prove his innocence. Asked whether he regretted settling before a verdict was possible, he pushed back.
“That’s what dropping the case is. That is innocence,” he argued.
“They’re not going to drop the case if you’re guilty at the end of the day. I don’t know what translations you have, but that’s what it means.
“Done. We move on. I never ever want to hear another question about the subject again. That goes out to everybody.”
Patea has not publicly commented on the settlement. Spectators heckled Zverev over the allegations at the 2025 Australian Open and Munich Open.
In 2022, the ATP Tour gave Zverev an eight-week suspended ban after finding him guilty of a “major offence”. At the Mexican Open, he smashed his racquet into the umpire’s chair four times after losing a doubles match. He was angry over a line call that went against him and his partner Marcelo Melo in a deciding tie-break. He was thrown out of the tournament in Acapulco for unsportsmanlike behaviour. He swore at umpire Alessandro Germani, accusing him of destroying the whole match. One of his four swipes at the chair nearly hit the umpire’s foot.
Zverev later apologised and said it was “difficult to put into words” how much he regretted his behaviour. The ban was never imposed, because he avoided any fine for “disrespectful or aggressive behaviour, or verbal or physical abuse” in the 12 months after the incident.