Alexander Zverev has little time to settle into his new position as world No. 1, with the 29-year-old already stalking next-gen rivals Jannik Sinner and Carlos Acaraz.

Zverev clinched the title at the weekend and is competing this week at the Paris Masters at the top of the ATP heap.

But the German is looking ahead to defending his new career honour as he plans for future match wins over his younger rivals.

Both of the young guns have gone through injury challenges in 2026, with Sinner not having played since Wimbledon due to a dodgy knee while Alcaraz missed nearly five months with a spring-summer wrist problem.

The Spaniard has  bounced back nicely, winning back to back ATP 500 titles in Tokyo and at the weekend in Vienna.

Zverev is ready for any and all challenges after being honoured as No. 1 on Monday on court in Paris.”I haven’t looked at the rankings, but no, it’s a special day, for sure. I think Paris has been quite special to me this year, generally. 

“It’s a place where I had a lot of up-and-downs, a lot of  heartbreak, but this year, of course, winning my first Grand Slam here and becoming World No. 1, it’s a very special feeling.”

Zverev added a second Grand Slam title with a US Open trophy but is keen to face off against Sinner and Alcaraz – with both hopefully staying healthy in 2027.

“There are so many other things that I still want to achieve. It’s very important in any sport or any person’s life to have certain goals that are set for you, which I definitely do.

“I’m looking forward to the top two guys being healthy again, playing fully and competing with them. I look forward to that challenge, as well.”

He added: “Competing with them is a goal but I feel like this year was the first time I could play on the grass court in my life,” said the runner-up in July to Sinner.

“Before, I didn’t know what to do on the grass court. I definitely feel like I can compete for all the four Grand Slams. Of course, hopefully getting a few more (titles at the majors) would be great for me.”

Main photo:- Alexander Zverev ATP No. 1 at Paris Masters by ISF Ltd

Novak Djokovic is setting the stage for a dream eighth title at the Paris Masters, with the 24-time Grand Slam winner still counting on the four majors to motivate him at age 39.

The Serb who is now striving to find a place in the ATP Finals for November 15 in Turin, has it all to play for this week at the La Defense arena to the far west of the capital.

He won his last title here in 2023 when the event was still played at its historic home in the Bercy neighborhood in the east.

He won a 500-level title last month in Beijing but crashed out early last week in Basel after winning a round.

Still, the fighting spirit in the veteran remains a driving force.

“Grand Slams remain the most important tournaments we have. They are the historic pillars of our sport, where you want to play your best tennis and make your name known in the history books of tennis.

“I still want to do my best in slams, but I also would like to play well in other
tournaments.”

He explained his current thinking. “This year the focus shifted to feeling well on the court rather than playing well, to be honest. Most of the tournaments that I played, I didn’t play many. Health-wise, a big struggle. 

“I struggled a lot, but lately we’re really getting closer to solving what I have been going through in the last 12 months.”

Djokovic called his Beijing title “the best week of the year, other than Australia, and I thought I played pretty well in Basel.

“That was a tight match to lose, but yeah but I’m just trying to enjoy the last couple weeks of the season. Then the performance will come. Yeah, we’ll see after that.”

Main photo:-Paris Rolex Paris Masters 2023 Novak Djokovic wins final by Roger Parker International Sports Fotos Ltd

Carlos Alcaraz lifted his fifth title of 2026 on Sunday as the former No. 1 defeated Alex de Minaur 6-1, 6-4 in Vienna to head to the season’s final event in Paris.

The world No. 3 did not drop a set on his run to the indoor title and stands a perfect 16-0 in the 500 series during 2026.

He last lost a 500 match in April, 2025 (Barcelona final to Holger Rune) and has now won his last 26 at this level.

 The Spaniard caught de Minaur on the hop after the Australian had defeated top seed Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals at the Stadthalle.

He broke three times to claim the opening set and continued his domination in the second on the way to the win in less than 90 minutes for a 7-0 record against the Aussie.

He has never lost to an Australian in 15 career meetings and won his 38th match of the season as he beat de Minaur..

“I tried to be aggressive and show him that if he wants to win, he has to play better [than me], more aggressive, more solid, and be smarter than me,” the winner said.

“I’m just really happy that at the end I found my way, played great, and obviously it has been a really emotional and amazing week for me. 

“I learned a lot, to keep going forward, step by step, playing on indoor courts, and trying to gain more confidence playing on this surface.”

Main photo:- Carlos Alcaraz and his team celebrate 500 win in Vienna – by E-motion Agentur Zolles AG