“It’s a load of rubbish. Absolute crap" - Lack of big rivals should not dent Alexander Zverev's 2026 achievements believes Rusedski

Alexander Zverev's 2026 campaign continues to go from strength to strength. The German has capitalised on injuries to his biggest rivals, clinching major silverware with him set to climb to the World No.1 spot in the coming weeks. His praises have been sung by many, but not by all, with Greg Rusedski leaping to his defence.

Heading into 2026, it was all about two players on the ATP Tour: Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. The pair streaked ahead from the rest in 2025 and provided tennis fans with a mesmerising rivalry. No one could keep up, not even Zverev, and that looked to be similar in 2026.

He lost against Sinner in the first four Masters 1000 events of the year in painful blows but would catch a break at Roland Garros with the Italian collapsing in his second round contest. Zverev strode away from the pack with Alcaraz also injured, defeating everyone in his path before defeating Flavio Cobolli in five sets to finally make his major breakthrough.

The burden was relieved from his shoulders, but he was not done yet. He competed in a first ever Wimbledon final, where he took the first set. However, the defending champion Sinner proved too strong in the end. However, that would prove to be his last match of 2026. Zverev went to the US Open as the favourite and lived up to the hype to double his Grand Slam tally against home hero Ben Shelton.

His pathway is clear to World No.1 with Alcaraz miles off the pace and Sinner a sitting duck. He is almost certain to clinch the top spot for the first time in his career, making 2026 a season to remember.

Zverev has achieved so much this year, but that is not automatically noted by many who continue to underplay the season Zverev has enjoyed. Speaking on his Off Court podcast, Rusedski tried to shift the narrative surrounding the 29-year-old.

This being that he was lucky to achieve what he did thanks to the injuries of Alcaraz and Sinner, along with the inconsistent showings from Novak Djokovic.

“It’s a load of rubbish. Absolute crap. This is a guy who has been dedicated to this sport since he was a youngster,” the former World No.4 defiantly said.

“The sacrifices his parents and family made for him to achieve what he’s achieved. He’s persevered. He hasn’t given up. When [Rafael] Nadal and [Roger] Federer win Slams and they don’t beat top 10 players, nobody’s talking about it. Zverev had the most immense pressure on himself to win that title in Paris when he won the French Open. So from my point of view, kudos to him."

He left to waste the argument around his top rivals not featuring. “Stop talking about this: ‘Oh, there’s no Sinner. There’s no Alcaraz. There’s no Djokovic. There’s no this, there’s no that.’ You win a Slam, you deserve it. Not only did he win one, he won two this year. And there was Alcaraz in a draw [at the US Open]. There was Sinner in the draw [at the French Open]. There was Djokovic in the draw."

The former US Open finalist admitted that all players need fortune to rise to the top while seizing the most prestigious accolades, but it was stoll very much deserved from Zverev's perspective.

“So well done, Sascha Zverev. You can’t say getting number one… no luck. Yes, you need a little bit of fortune and luck at times. Sinner, Alcaraz and Djokovic [also] have luck. So, I don’t take that for a minute. Well-earned, well-deserved. You work hard, you persevere, you get your goals and nothing but credit to Sascha Zverev for what he’s achieved.”

A huge opportunity now arises. Zverev will be the No.1 seed for the Shanghai Masters, Vienna Open, Paris Masters and most significantly the ATP Finals, an event he has won twice before.