The men’s tennis rankings have a new look after the first semifinal on Centre Court of Wimbledon 2026. By defeating British wildcard Arthur Fery on Friday, Alexander Zverev has officially earned enough points to become the new World No. 2 on the ATP tour. This result moves him past Carlos Alcaraz, who drops down to the third spot.
Zverev entered the grass-court Major with confidence after winning his first Grand Slam trophy at the French Open last month. Historically, the All England Club was the only big tournament where the 29-year-old German struggled to make deep runs. However, his 7-6(0), 6-2, 6-4 straight-sets win against Fery has put an end to that streak, booking his maiden final spot at SW19 and making him only the 13th man in tennis history to reach the singles final at all four Grand Slam tournaments.
With the win over the 23-year-old Britton, Sascha matched his career-best ranking of world no.2 that he first achieved in June, 2022. He returned to the No. 2 spot late in the 2024 season, ultimately securing his first-ever Year-End No. 2 finish. He held onto the position through the 2025 Australian Open before being surpassed by Carlos Alcaraz in April 2025.
Alexander Zverev’s Wimbledon 2026 CampaignÂ
Before stopping Fery’s dream run on Friday, Zverev had to pass several difficult tests in London. His toughest hurdle came in the quarterfinals, where he took down world number six Taylor Fritz. Here’s a recap of the journey to the finals:Â
First Round: He started his campaign by beating Alexander Blockx in a tough four-set battle, 6-4, 6-7(8), 7-6(7), 7-6(0). Â
Second Round: The German cruised past Frenchman Valentin Royer in straight sets, 6-1, 6-3, 7-6(3). Â
Third Round: He kept his momentum going by eliminating Marcos Giron, 6-2, 7-6(4), 6-4. Â
Fourth Round: Zverev fought through a very tight match against 13th seed Jiri Lehecka, winning 6-4, 7-5, 3-6, 7-6(5). Â
Quarterfinals: He played his best tennis of the week to beat world number six Taylor Fritz in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2. Â
Semifinals: He ended the fairy-tale home run of Arthur Fery, winning 7-6(0), 6-2, 6-4 to book his place in Sunday’s final. Â
Carlos Alcaraz’s injury struggles disrupt his season
Zverev’s rise to the second spot was made easier by the unfortunate absence of Carlos Alcaraz. The young Spaniard has endured a difficult 2026 season due to a persistent right wrist injury that he first picked up in April during the Barcelona Open.
The injury turned out to be much worse than his team initially feared. It forced the seven-time Grand Slam winner to withdraw from big clay tournaments in Rome and Madrid, and eventually kept him out of the French Open. Hoping to heal in time for the grass season, Alcaraz tried to target a return in London but ultimately had to pull out of both Queen’s Club and Wimbledon. Because he could not defend his deep tournament runs from last year, Alcaraz lost 3,300 ranking points, paving a clear path for Zverev to claim the World No. 2 spot.
