It is fair to say that Alexander Zverev has put the whole tour on notice with his triumph at the French Open. There were serious doubts about whether he would ever be able to win a Grand Slam. However, he proved all his doubters wrong with his stunning victory in Paris. In fact, former ATP pro Mats Wilander believes that triumph could disrupt the current order in men’s tennis.

“In my opinion, he will play in a more relaxed way; he has got rid of a huge weight,” he told La Gazzetta Dello Sport. “I think that if we were looking for a third player between Sinner and Alcaraz, we finally found him. Jannik and Carlos will no longer be able to feel so quiet; in my opinion, Sascha will get considerably closer to their level.”

Despite being the far more experienced player of the three, Zverev was left in the shadows by Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who have won multiple Grand Slams. The pair also boast a better H2H record over the German, with Sinner leading 10-4 and Alcaraz being slightly ahead by 7-6.

Zverev also boasts quite an impressive trophy cabinet of his own. He already has 24 ATP titles and an Olympic gold medal to show for his achievements, but he has now added a Grand Slam to it as well. After losing three Grand Slam finals, the success in Paris was much needed for him.

The 29-year-old is now undoubtedly the third most successful player on the tour. Things can get even better for him on the grass swing as he stands a chance to surpass Alcaraz on the rankings.

Zverev currently sits at No. 3 with 7,305 points under his belt while Alcaraz is right ahead of him with 9,960 points. Though the point deficit might look huge, the Spaniard will drop 500 and 1,300 points at the HSBC Championships and Wimbledon, respectively, for not taking part.

With Zverev eliminated in Wimbledon’s first round last year, he has minimal points to defend. So, a good run at the Grand Slam could see him surpass Alcaraz on the rankings. But it would still be a long way to go for the German if he wants to overtake Sinner.

The Italian had claimed the No. 1 spot in April with his victory over Alcaraz in the final of the Monte Carlo Masters. He went from strength to strength in the tournaments that followed, clinching titles in both Madrid and Rome. Despite his second-round exit at the French Open, Sinner stands clear from the rest of the pack with 13,500 points.

Alexander Zverev has the No. 1 ranking as his next target

The 29-year-old is even willing to play for another 10 years if that’s what takes him to become the World No. 1 for the first time in his career.

“I want to keep playing for another ten years,” Zverev said in an interview with the German Publication Bild. “I’ve already achieved the Grand Slam goal, and the only thing I’m missing is being number one in the world. Even if it’s just for a week, that would be nice. Although with the competition there is, it will be very difficult.”

Zverev has remained in the top 10 for almost three years now. He has reached the No. 2 spot on multiple occasions but has just not been able to take the premier position.

Wimbledon will be Zverev’s first test of whether his Grand Slam breakthrough translates to sustained dominance.