"I think that window of opportunity is definitely there" - World No.1 up for grabs according to Andrea Petkovic as Zverev backed for ultimate quest

Alexander Zverev has enjoyed a recent upturn in form as of late. 2026 has been a very eye-catching year for the 29-year-old, finally sealing a breakthrough Grand Slam title in Paris while constantly appearing in the latter stages of the biggest tournaments. He has achieved virtually everything the sport has had to throw at him, except being World No.1. Fellow German Andrea Petkovic has backed for him to achieve this elusive feet despite who lay ahead of him.

For some time now, the top two in the ATP Rankings have been dominated by two players: Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. The only player who has managed to dislodge one of them from those spots has been Zverev, spending the first part of 2025 as the number two in the world following a slight blip in results for Alcaraz, but his form itself would not be brilliant as he slid down to number three, but by a comfortable margin.

His performances in 2026 have been extremely noteworthy. Semi-finals in the Australian Open, Indian Wells, Miami Open and Monte-Carlo Masters were very strong, but someone of Zverev's calibre needed to seal a title. That would not come in Madrid where Sinner battered him in ominous fashion.

A harsh reality check in a problem that had been bugging him. He could not get the better of Sinner, losing in all of those tournaments aside from the Australian Open to him. That was to Alcaraz in a five-set thriller in which he had attempted to serve it out.

His fortunes changed at Roland Garros. While luck was on his side thanks to an influx of upsets and all his main rivals being injured or out, he still had to defeat what was in front of him. Convincingly, he made it to the final where he managed to streak away from Flavio Cobolli in the fifth set to win a maiden Grand Slam title.

Wimbledon was a true showcase of how his form had turned around. Never before making it past the fourth round, Zverev completed the collection of Grand Slam finals as he lost his 10th consecutive match against a scintillating Sinner.

A number of top German names from the world of tennis have come out in recent weeks and months to praise and laud Zverev as he firmly cements himself as the best of the rest. Most significantly, he has convinced many that he could break the Alcaraz-Sinner dominance. Already done so at Grand Slam level, that could occur in the rankings with Novak Djokovic back on the 9th June 2024 the final player not called Sinner or Alcaraz to be number one on the ATP Rankings.

The last German to bestow this honour was Boris Becker back in 1991. Petkovic believes this is the time that it could change with Zverev ready to pounce. "I think that window of opportunity is definitely there," she told Sport1. "If Sascha picks up where he left off at Wimbledon, the chance is absolutely there."

Nevertheless, the former world number nine ruefully admitted that it would not be easy. "Of course, Sinner and Alcaraz will continue to set the pace, so it will be anything but easy."

(as per livetennis.eu)

As the table shows, Sinner is miles clear with 13,450 points. Zverev has only now managed to surpass Alcaraz into second thanks to that run at Wimbledon, albeit that may have been seemingly inevitable with another 3000 points on the line in the North American hardcourt swing and the Spaniard's fitness still in the dark.

Behind him, almost 4,000 points is the gap to Felix Auger-Aliassime in fourth as the chasing pack sit far off in the distance. However, that is not for Zverev's concern. He is only looking up with the style of tennis he is playing giving Petkovic a lot of positive belief for the future.

"At first, I had the feeling that the old and the new Alexander Zverev were on the court at the same time," she said. "The longer the season went on, the more the new style of play prevailed. Wimbledon finally showed me that he now completely believes in this game. This is no longer a short-term adjustment, but his new identity on the court."

Zverev has the points from the semi-finals at the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open to defend, but he will traverse to Montreal as the favourite with Sinner, Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic not featuring. A first Masters 1000 title since the 2024 Paris Masters could be sealed ahead of the US Open, in which Zverev only managed a third round last year. He will be heavily favoured to go much deeper than that.