"I'm the last one. Are you gonna die?" - Alexander Zverev makes witty joke in ATP Finals press conference that leaves competitors in stitches

The ATP Finals will begin tomorrow, with eight of the best players in the world set to take to court to battle it out for the spoils. Alexander Zverev headlines a very competitive group featuring Ben Shelton, Arthur Fils and his first opponent Rafael Jodar. Nevertheless, another Spaniard was put forward as being Zverev's biggest threat. Despite this, the 29-year-old did not want to hear anything about Carlos Alcaraz.

Ahead of the event starting, there was a light-hearted mood in the press conference featuring all four players. Zverev was the main attraction, being the World No.1. He has recently added his name to an esteemed list of players who have managed to rise to the top of the ATP Rankings, 30 to be exact.

One journalist, who had been fortunate to meet all of these prestigious names, now got the chance to speak to Zverev. "I've met all 30 No. 1s in the world, and you're the last one; you're welcome," he said.

The German saw his opportunity and instinctively responded with a witty answer. "I'm the last one. Are you gonna die?" This got a laugh out of a number of people in the room, especially Shelton, who hid his face with his hand as he laughed.

Zverev is a two-time ATP Finals champion and one of the big favourites to win this title. His two Grand Slam triumphs in 2026 have been the only titles that he has actually won. While it has been a remarkable achievement, along with the World No.1 status, he is hopeful of finishing the season with a bang.

According to many tennis fans, Alcaraz is seen as the favourite for this title thanks to his recent blistering form, winning the titles in Vienna and Paris. However, Zverev has been the dominant force indoors against his Spanish foe.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion was not on Zverev's mind for the time being. "First of all, I think we shouldn't disrespect anybody," Zverev answered. "I don't think about Carlos right now. I think about these three young gentlemen. We have a very strong group, and everybody has shown that they know how to play tennis. Otherwise, they wouldn't be here. My focus is on them at the moment, and then we'll see what happens later in the week."

Despite some poor recent results, he has a fresh mind ahead of this event, looking to enjoy himself. "I'll approach this tournament with joy. I'll have fun playing here, and I'll enjoy being on this court. I'll never take it for granted to be in a place with the eight best players in the world."

A big part of this is due to him being tired and fatigued after a busy season. "Yes, the last couple of weeks haven't brought my best results. But at some point, as I've said, I was quite open about it in Shanghai. I'm not a robot. I did get tired and fatigued.

"Of course, I had a lot of goals for this year that I've achieved. Mentally, you can become quite tired from that as well, because you feel like you have motivation, but you can also feel a little bit drained. I felt that in Shanghai and a little bit in Paris. But now I feel good. I feel like I've had really, really good practice sessions, and I'm ready to go."

Alcaraz is not the only Spaniard Zverev has to think about in this tournament, with one a more prominent threat. "Again, Carlos has been exceptional since his comeback. He's been playing unbelievable tennis. But my main focus is Rafa in the first match, then one of these two gentlemen, and then we'll move on from there."