Alexander Zverev may become world No. 1, but will tennis fans accept him?

Alexander Zverev has secured the year-end world No. 1 ranking in tennis after winning two Grand Slam titles in 2026 — defeating Flavio Cobolli at Roland Garros in June and Ben Shelton at the US Open in September. His position was mathematically confirmed following his opening win over Wu Yibing at the Shanghai Masters, with Jannik Sinner withdrawing due to a knee injury and Carlos Alcaraz unable to close the points gap. Despite his achievements, the 29-year-old German continues to face criticism from some quarters who question whether he fully deserves his success.