A Year of Injuries Opens the Door for Zverev
John McEnroe, the former world No. 1 and current Laver Cup captain, has shared a candid take on the 2026 ATP season during an interview with Italian broadcaster SuperTennisTV. His verdict: Alexander Zverev is "probably" going to finish the year ranked No. 1 in the world, and even Zverev himself may not have seen it coming.
The backdrop is a turbulent year for the sport's two dominant forces. Carlos Alcaraz suffered a serious wrist injury in April that wiped out his entire clay-court and grass-court calendar, forcing him to miss the French Open, Wimbledon, and Masters 1000 events in Montreal and Cincinnati before returning in New York. Jannik Sinner, meanwhile, cramped out of the French Open in the second round and later withdrew from the North American hard-court swing with a persistent knee problem.
Zverev wasted no time filling the void. The German won both the French Open and the US Open, and reached his first-ever Wimbledon final. In the Live Race to Turin standings, which track only 2026 season points, Zverev leads with 8,650 points ahead of Sinner at 7,950, with Alcaraz a distant fourth at 4,050.
McEnroe Draws a Clear Line Between No. 1 and Best Player
Despite backing Zverev to claim the ranking, McEnroe stopped short of calling him the finest player on tour. He noted that Alcaraz and Sinner had "proven to be the two best players" before injuries derailed their seasons, and that Zverev himself felt a gap existed between him and the top two.
McEnroe's warmest words were reserved for Alcaraz, who leads his head-to-head record against both Sinner (10-7) and Zverev (7-6). TennisDraw users tracking the Race to Turin have overwhelmingly backed Zverev to seal the year-end top spot, though many still flag Alcaraz as the most dangerous player when healthy.
