Alexander Zverev insisted he can surpass Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz as the preeminent force in tennis despite his painful loss in Sunday's Wimbledon final.
Zverev had a chance to follow his first Grand Slam title at the French Open in June by winning Wimbledon after taking the first set in the showdown with Sinner.
But the 29-year-old was unable to topple the relentless world No 1 as Sinner hit back to win 6-7 (7/9), 7-6 (7/2), 6-3, 6-4 in a bruising battle on Centre Court.
Although Zverev was frustrated to miss out on becoming the first German man to win Wimbledon since Michael Stich in 1991, he took comfort from a remarkable two months.
He shook off his tag as the most talented player never to win a Grand Slam by taking the title at Roland Garros, then banished his long struggle on grass by making his first Wimbledon final.
The 2026 Gentlemen's Singles runner up, Alexander Zverev 👏#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/C0ngxzBRsJ
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 12, 2026
Zverev will rise to No 2 in the ATP rankings next week, just behind Sinner and ahead of Alcaraz, who has missed the last two Grand Slams due to a wrist injury.
Now Zverev believes he is ready to launch a sustained assault on the world No 1 spot and the sport's top prizes.
"I hope so. That's what I'm here to do. This year has been a progress. I've been pushing those guys. I haven't beaten them this year, but I've pushed them to the limits, I would say," he said.
"Alcaraz in Australia, Jannik maybe here. Even though it was four sets, I think it was a very close four sets, which could have gone five as well.
"The last couple years, I've always been the third guy, but I was just far away from those two. So if I get closer to them, if I can be in the mix of competing and winning the big tournaments with them, it would be great."
'STILL THE BEST IN THE WORLD'
Sinner is the main obstacle to Zverev's hopes of more Grand Slam glory.
The 2026 Gentlemen's Singles runner up, Alexander Zverev 👏#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/3rahxUotay
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 12, 2026
The 24-year-old Italian has won his last 10 meetings with Zverev and once again the German failed to find a way to pierce his brilliant serve and metronomic ground strokes.
"He's still the best player in the world. I do believe there's only two, maybe three guys - probably three guys with Novak (Djokovic) - who can challenge him. All of us have to be working for that goal," he said.
"I've challenged him today. Not enough, obviously, because I still sit here as the loser. I will continue doing that. The big tournaments are still around the corner."
Zverev is confident he is up to the task of chasing down five-time Grand Slam champion Sinner, who has now won Wimbledon in successive years, as well as battling with seven-time major winner Alcaraz, who triumphed at the All England Club in 2023 and 2024.
"I've said it at the beginning of the year, and I've stuck to it. That's the tennis I want to play," Zverev said.
"The more I do it, the better I'll become, hopefully. I won a Grand Slam for the first time in my career in Paris.
"I made it to the final here for the first time in my career. Of course, something has to be working.
"Is it perfect yet? No. But I think we're going towards the right direction."