Two Grand Slam titles and another major final would normally be enough to crown Alexander Zverev the best player in the world. But even Zverev knows there is an uncomfortable asterisk hanging over that claim. Jannik Sinner was missing, Carlos Alcaraz spent four months sidelined, and suddenly the German had a much clearer path to the top. So after winning his second Major of the season at the US Open, Zverev did not hide from the obvious question: is he really the best player on Tour, or simply the best one still standing?
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“I don’t know how to answer that. You have to take everything into consideration. With Jannik Sinner being injured and Carlos Alcaraz coming back from injury after four months, right now, at this moment, probably yes,” Alexander Zverev said in his post-match press conference.
“But if both of them are healthy and both are at the top of their game, maybe not. Four or five months ago, when both of them were healthy, I wasn’t. I was losing to Jannik all the time. So if everyone is healthy, I think Jannik is still ahead. It’s as simple as that.”
Zverev’s numbers make it increasingly difficult to argue against his claim as the best player on Tour right now. He owns a staggering 25-2 record at Grand Slams this season and leads the ATP with 53 tour-level wins in 2026. His consistency has been just as impressive, with six semifinal appearances, including at the Australian Open, Indian Wells, Miami, and Monte Carlo, along with runner-up finishes at Wimbledon and Madrid. Whatever doubts remain about where he stands next to Sinner and Alcaraz, Zverev has made sure his results can no longer be ignored.
However, Zverev’s flip argument about Alcaraz and Sinner also holds merit. The two losses that the German has suffered at the Grand Slams have been at the hands of those two players. Even though Zverev gave terrific performances in his five-set loss to Alcaraz in Melbourne and his close four-set loss to Sinner in the Wimbledon final, the World No.2 has struggled in those matchups.
The head-to-head between Alcaraz and Zverev is 7-6 in favor of the Spaniard, and even though it looks close, Alcaraz has won four of the last five matches. Sinner has been Zverev’s real nemesis, with an 11-4 record against the German. The World No. 1 has beaten Zverev in their last ten matches, during which the German has won only three sets.
Even with Sinner skipping the US Open and Zverev lifting the trophy, the Italian still sits 1,810 points ahead in the ATP rankings. That gap is a reminder that Zverev has not fully broken into the Sinner-Alcaraz tier yet. Still, his two Slam titles this season have made one thing clear: he is now the most credible threat to their dominance.
In New York, Zverev handled the pressure of being the top seed, survived the early turbulence, and got better as the tournament went on.
Alexander Zverev Gradually Peaked at the US Open
Even though he reached the last two Grand Slam finals, Zverev’s chances at the US Open were not high, as the German had poor results in the lead-up events in Montreal and Cincinnati. Coming into New York, he had to play consecutive five-set matches against the likes of Lorenzo Sonego and Quentin Halys, with the Italian being just two points away from winning in the first round, before Zverev turned it around.
Once Zverev shook off the early rust, the tournament quickly started bending to his will. He swept past Alejandro Tabilo, Luciano Darderi, Botic Van de Zandschulp, and Karen Khachanov in straight sets to reach his second US Open final. Even the prospect of facing home favorite Ben Shelton inside a hostile Arthur Ashe Stadium did little to unsettle him, as Zverev controlled the final and shut down the American when the pressure was at its highest.
Zverev‘s path to the final might spark debate among fans, as the German did not face any top-ranked players until he faced Shelton in the final. However, one cannot deny the improvements the World No.2 has made in his game, as he has switched to a more aggressive approach, as seen in his recent matches against Sinner and Alcaraz. Having won multiple Majors, the German will be keen to break his rut against the top two contenders in men’s tennis, especially after Sinner comes back from his injury.