Alexander Zverev’s first match since officially becoming the world number one ended in defeat last week.
In his opening-round match at the Paris Masters, Zverev lost to Lorenzo Musetti in straight sets, 7-6, 6-2. Following his loss to Musetti in the French capital, the German said he felt like the only world number one in history to have to explain why it is ‘OK’ for him to be at the top of the rankings.
Zverev’s best-ever season on the ATP Tour in 2026, during which he has captured his first two Grand Slam titles, has been criticised for the lack of top-ten wins he has clinched en route to becoming world number one. Zverev has failed to beat either Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner this year, having fallen to the Spaniard once and the Italian five times.
Speaking exclusively to The Tennis Gazette, Serena Williams’ former coach, Rick Macci, came to the defence of Zverev.
Rick Macci says Alexander Zverev deserves to be number one
“He deserves to be number one more than anybody in the world,” said Macci. “Listen, you don’t pick and choose who you’re going to play. You don’t pick and choose the draw. He has no control over Sinner or Alcaraz. I understand people chirping, but listen, you still have to deliver the mail. Just because the table is set doesn’t mean you’re going to eat.
“He still has had to win. There’s something to that, and you’ve got to give the guy credit. Listen, the table was set when he played Thiem back in the day [in the US Open final]. He didn’t get it. Now he deserves to be number one. He is number one because the rankings don’t lie. If you ask me who the best player is, I’m always going to say Alcaraz is the best player. He’s right there with Sinner.
“They’re going to go back and forth. They’re both generational talents like the sport has never seen. If they don’t get injured and they play for 10 more years, they’re both going to have over 20 Grand Slams. They’re both rare air. They’re different. They’re built differently. They do things differently. They bring different elements to the table, and the sport has never seen anything like Alcaraz. He checks every box and more.
“That doesn’t mean he’s going to be the best ever, but he does more with quality, under pressure. It’s a total package, and he’s a great role model for every young kid to learn a complete game. Zverev definitely deserves to be number one.
“Listen, next year, everybody’s playing, and he gets to play them, and if he beats them, he’s number one again and there’s an exclamation point behind it. But at the end of the day, he deserves to be number one more than anybody in the world. You can’t pick and choose who to play.
“When people push back, it’s like, okay, I get it. I understand it, but that has nothing to do with him. Most of all, when you’re supposed to win, you don’t always win, so you need to give him a lot of credit for that.”
Alexander Zverev’s last chance in 2026 to beat Carlos Alcaraz
Zverev will not have another chance in 2026 to defeat Sinner, with the 25-year-old having ended his season early due to a knee injury. He could, however, finish the season with a victory over Alcaraz.
Zverev’s last chance to beat Alcaraz will come at the ATP Finals, where the two stars will be placed in opposite groups during the round-robin stage. Zverev’s last win over Alcaraz was at the 2024 edition of the ATP Finals, when he beat him in straight sets.
Since then, Alcaraz has come out on top in their bouts at the 2025 Cincinnati Open and the 2026 Australian Open. Zverev served for the match in the Melbourne Park clash, but failed to get over the line.
