ATP Tour

Henman & Noah on Zverev's Year-End No. 1 season: 'It's absolutely phenomenal'

After enduring years of near misses, Alexander Zverev has ticked off a number of glittering achievements across the 2026 season.

Having already claimed his first major titles at Roland Garros and the US Open, Zverev on Monday secured ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF for the first time, becoming the first German to finish a season at the top. Zverev’s success follows years of persistence, and Tim Henman and Yannick Noah — who have spent time with the German at the past two editions of the Laver Cup — can both attest to that.

“You've got to earn the ranking points, and the way he's played this year has been absolutely phenomenal,” Henman told ATPTour.com in London last month. “He was a service game away from being in all four Slam finals. To have been working so hard and then not being able to win a Slam, and winning two this year and reaching the Wimbledon final, it’s absolutely phenomenal.

“Twelve months ago, he had a tough time. He wasn't playing well, and he didn't play well in the Laver Cup. The transformation 12 months on is phenomenal.”

Zverev has needed to show resilience this season, starting with a painful Australian Open semi-final defeat to Carlos Alcaraz, leading to his breakthrough at Roland Garros. The German served for the match at 5-4 in the fifth set, but ultimately lost after five hours and 27 minutes, before bouncing back to claim his first major title in Paris, reach the Wimbledon final and win the US Open.

For Henman, a six-time major semi-finalist himself, Zverev has shown with his progress a growing ability to handle the sport’s biggest occasions, even when he is not playing his best tennis. While his serve and backhand remain central to his game, Henman believes his improved confidence and capacity to find solutions under pressure have been just as important.

“They all work incredibly hard because you can't get to the top without giving everything,” Henman said when asked about the work ethic required to reach the top. “But a lot of it is about game style, strategy and confidence. I think 12 months ago, Sascha was low on all of them.

“But when you see the way he's been stepping up in the big matches, he hasn't always played his best, but he's found a way to win. Then you give yourself a chance to play better. The way he's played in the Slams speaks for itself.”

Noah has also been impressed by Zverev’s progress. The Frenchman, who won Roland Garros in 1983 and later captained France to two Davis Cup titles, says it was Zverev’s persistence through years of near misses that stood out to him. The German lost his first three major finals.

“He's been searching for it for so long, and it's very inspiring to see a player being so close for so many years and never giving up,” Noah said. “All of a sudden, he had this little opening this year, and he was ready. He took it, and he deserves it. He deserves to have the taste of being No. 1, which is something I have no idea about because I've never been No. 1. I think it's a good feeling.”

Noah may have traded his professional tennis career for the music stage following his retirement, but his return to the Laver Cup offered an opportunity to reconnect with the game and its leading players. In London, just two weeks after the 29-year-old’s triumph at the US Open, he was happy to see Zverev enjoying the rewards of his breakthrough season.

“All of a sudden, here I am at the Laver Cup, so it's very difficult to say. What I can say is that we exchanged a few phone messages,” Noah said. “When I saw him, I was happy to see his face. You see somebody very cheerful. He was very happy, having just won the US Open. It was nice to see him.

“Being No. 1 is something, but winning the match point is the best part because we all play for this moment of emotion. Maybe it's different from being No. 1, but the main thing is to win matches.”

For Zverev, the year-end ranking is the cherry on the top of a season in which he has channelled years of persistence to two major titles and the top spot in the sport. He will climb to the top of the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time as early as 2 November.