Alexander Zverev’s ascension to the top of the world rankings comes as a culmination of an impressive year, where he has taken full advantage of the opportunity that presented itself throughout 2026.
Injuries to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, and a lack of ample alternative competition, allowed him to win his first two Grand Slams and reach a first Wimbledon final.
This, along with the absence of his two great rivals, has seen the rankings gap between them shorten, with it now confirmed that Zverev will be the year-end world number one.
Whilst many are celebrating his achievement, others are more interested in whether he’ll be able to retain it into 2027, when both Alcaraz and Sinner are hopefully fit again.
Bjorn Borg, speaking in a rare interview, has now given his vote of confidence to the recovering Spaniard.
Bjorn Borg backs Carlos Alcaraz to return to world number one
Fresh from his shock early exit in Shanghai, this legendary Swedish tennis superstar remains enamoured with Alcaraz.
And, in a recent appearance in Ibiza to sign copies of his autobiography, he spoke about the 23-year-old, backing him to return to the world number one spot eventually.
Borg claimed: “I like him a lot as a player. He’s maybe the best; I think he’s gonna come back as number one for sure. It’s gonna be interesting following him next year because he’s gonna win many more Grand Slams; I think in the future he will be the guy to beat in tennis.”
Then, highlighting the impact he has already had on Spanish tennis, he added: “Spanish tennis has a big front figure like Alcaraz. I like him as a player, and he’s a nice person too, a great person. Following in his footsteps is gonna be good for everybody involved in tennis in Spain.”
If he is to match Borg’s ambition, the seven-time Grand Slam champion still seems far from his old level.
Fortunately, Alcaraz has already been told what he must work on in the off-season following his shock Shanghai Masters loss to Zizou Bergs.
He will now head to the Paris Masters, hoping to perform better at the only indoor event at the 1000 level.
This year’s Australian Open champion has reached the quarter-finals in the past, but not since 2022. That remains his best-ever performance at the tournament.