Alexander Zverev’s hopes of becoming the world No. 1 in men’s tennis just came to a screeching halt. The German lost to Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo at the Madrid Open in straight sets, 7-5, 6-3. That makes it 3-0 in Cerundolo’s favor in their head-to-head battles. Zverev came into Madrid on a seven-match win streak. He had just won the title in Munich and looked like he might add to his two Madrid Open trophies. And just like that, a three-month journey of chasing the top spot ended. After the loss, the World No.2 was reflecting on the competition now. What did he say?
Zverev first cracked the top 10 back in 2017, after he won the Italian Open — his first Masters 1000 title. Since then, he’s beaten the biggest names in the sport: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer. But he believes that was a different time.
At his post-match press conference, he was asked if it was harder to break into the top 10 in 2017 compared to now. The 28-year-old said,“No, definitely not. It’s much more difficult. The depth of players is much more. Before when, I remember when I got to the top 10 first time was 2017, it was eight years ago. Yes, the top 10 was very strong, and we had the four best players in the world with Novak, Rafa, Roger, Andy, Stan, you know, del Potro and all those guys, but the level from, I would say, 10 to 20 and then 20 to 30 was much lower than it is now. Yes, the top of the top was unbelievable, but the depth now is much more.”
Zverev says it’s much harder to reach the top 10 in today’s era, ‘We had the 4 best players in the world with Novak, Rafa, Roger, Andy, Stan, del Potro… but the level from 10 to 20 & then 20 to 30 was much lower than it is now’
“Many people thinks that today is more easier or… pic.twitter.com/KE8vPXoyHZ
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) May 1, 2025
That era, was dominated by the iconic “Big Three”. The top of the rankings felt almost untouchable. The trio dominated men’s singles tennis for two decades, collectively winning 66 major singles tournaments. They dominated the rankings as on of the three would feature as the year-end World no.1 nearly every year from 2004 to 2023. With the inclusion of Andy Murry, between 2003 and now, only 19 Grand Slam titles have gone to players outside them. That says it all.
Now, he believes the picture is a lot different. Only Zverev and Djokovic remain from that 2017 top 10 list. And today’s No. 3, Carlos Alcaraz, has 2,605 more points than Wawrinka had as the world No. 3 back then. Even Alexander Bublik, never one to shy away from saying what he thinks, chimed in this week. During a changeover in his Madrid match against Jakub Mensik, Bublik told the umpire: “Mohamed, remember when tennis was easy? Like five years ago it was super easy to play tennis. A bunch of random people in the Top 50, barely moving. Now this guy is not even Top 5, not even Top 10. What is that?” Mensik, by the way, is 19, ranked No. 23, and recently beat Djokovic to win his first title in Miami.
Speaking of rankings, Alexander Zverev has not only lost his chance to be No.1, but his No.2 spot is also in danger.
Alexander Zverev could lose his No.2 spot in the rankings
Alexander Zverev’s chance to climb the rankings came when Jannik Sinner got suspended for testing positive twice for clostebol, a banned steroid. The Italian was docked points, and it seemed like a golden opening for the German. But he didn’t make it count.
He chose to play on clay in South America, avoiding the stronger fields in Dubai and Doha. But the results didn’t come. He failed to go beyond the quarterfinals in either event. From there, things got worse. The 28-year-old lost his second match in Acapulco, went out in his first round in Indian Wells, dropped his third match in Miami, lost his opener in Monte Carlo, and now exited in the third round in Madrid. A rough stretch, to say the least.
Zverev started this three-month push with 8,135 points. He now has 8,085. His only real highlight? Winning Munich earlier this April — an ATP 500 title on home soil.
Sinner, even with his suspension, still leads with 9,730 points. The Italian is ready to make his entrance at the Italian Open. Interestingly, the German is currently the reigning champion in Rome. He’ll be defending 1,000 points, which means Zverev can’t gain any ground unless he wins the whole thing. Alcaraz is trailing behind him with 7850 points.
Unless Zverev wins the Italian Open, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz will head to the French Open in May as the top two seeds in Paris. Can he save his No.2 spot? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.
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