Alexander Zverev is seeking his seventh Masters 1000 title this week at the Cincinnati Open.
The 27-year-old suffered a gut-wrenching ankle injury in the semi-final of the 2022 French Open against Rafael Nadal that required surgery.
Zverev returned from a six-month hiatus and has developed into one of the tour’s most in-form players.
The German reached the semi-finals of this year’s Australian Open and, five months later, was on the cusp of a maiden major crown at Roland Garros, but threw away a 2-1 lead over Carlos Alcaraz in the final.
But, with Alcaraz out of Cincinnati after a shock loss to Gael Monfils, Zverev could capitalize if he clinches the title.
Zverev could reach world No.2 with title at the Cincinnati Open
Alexander Zverev is no stranger to success at the Cincinnati Open, having won the title in 2021.
It was a stellar year that saw him lift six ATP titles, including his second at the prestigious season-ending Finals.
But if Zverev is successful once again come next week, he will surpass both Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic in the rankings to his career-high of world number two.
Djokovic opted to skip Cincinnati this week, where he is the reigning champion, losing significant points as a result.
Zverev eyes maiden grand slam at US Open
Zverev was just two points from victory in a gripping five-set final at the 2020 US Open but came unstuck by the resilience of Dominic Thiem.
However, he will be able to draw on this as inspiration when he seeks to go one further at Flushing Meadows next month.
If Zverev is successful in his quest for a second Cincinnati title, he will enter the US Open as the number two seed.
This would mean that he would potentially avoid the likes of Alcaraz and Djokovic until the final.
But in Cincinnati, the German must get past American Ben Shelton on Saturday for a spot in the semi-finals, where he could face world number one Jannik Sinner.
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