Zverev says he was 'annoyed' after Paris Masters defeat in first match since becoming world number one

Alexander Zverev said he was "annoyed" after losing to Italy's Lorenzo Musetti at the Paris Masters on Wednesday, his first match since becoming world number one; he became the oldest man in more than 50 years to reach the top of the ATP rankings for the first time. The 29-year-old German was beaten 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 in Paris after being presented with the world number one trophy earlier in the week.

Zverev has won his first two Grand Slam titles in 2026, taking the French Open and US Open and finishing runner-up to Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon. He told reporters he felt singled out by criticism, saying he was the only player who "has to explain why it's OK" for him to be top of the rankings. Before this year's French Open, Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz had shared the previous nine Grand Slam titles, and Sinner beat Zverev in last year's Australian Open final.

This season Zverev has compiled a 62-8 record against opponents ranked 11 and below but has managed only three wins from 12 matches against top-10 players. He has lost each of his 10 most recent meetings with Sinner and has dropped four of his past five matches against Alcaraz. Those head-to-head results sit alongside the major titles he secured this year.

Zverev was presented with the world number one trophy in Paris on Monday and, after receiving a bye through the first round, was beaten by Musetti 7-6 (7-5) 6-2. The match was his first since ascending to the top of the rankings and ended his run in that stage of the Paris Masters.

On the reaction to his rise, Zverev said: "I don't think anybody had to explain themselves as much as I had to do in the last couple of days, which for me, is annoying, to be honest." He added: "I was a bit annoyed, to be honest, because achieving the world number one status is something that every player dreams of." He finished his comments with: "But then I feel like I'm the only world number in tennis history that has to explain why it's OK for me to be world number one, which I find quite difficult, because I think I deserve to be where I am, even though I lost today."

Zverev did not specify which issues had been annoying him after going to the top of the rankings. His ascent has led to previous accusations of physical abuse by two of his former partners being highlighted again; Zverev has always firmly maintained his innocence and has insisted the allegations are baseless. Reflecting on his performance, he said: "To simplify it, he played really good and I played really bad" and added, "I think this was not a very good match from me, I think it might be one of the worst in the last couple of months."

Sinner has not played since Wimbledon after injuring his knee and has subsequently dropped to number two in the rankings. Alcaraz missed large parts of the season with a wrist injury.