Alexander Zverev had waited six years to erase the pain of his first US Open final. When the moment finally arrived, the German did not even realise he had won it.Zverev defeated American Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2 on Sunday to win his first US Open title and second Grand Slam of the year, following his maiden major triumph at Roland Garros in June. But after sealing the championship point, the world No. 2 remained behind the baseline, preparing to receive another serve.It took his team’s reaction — and a glance around the stadium — for Zverev to realise that he was now a US Open champion.
‘I didn’t hear that she said, Game, set, match’
Zverev said he was so locked into the contest that he completely missed the chair umpire announcing the end of the match.“In that moment, I was in the zone a lot. I didn’t hear noise at all,” Zverev said during his post-match press conference. “I was in this kind of tunnel where I just didn’t hear anything. Also, when the crowd is loud, it’s impossible to hear the umpire, so I didn’t hear that she said, ‘Game, set, match’. At the end of the day, I just forgot the score. I just thought it was 5-1 instead of 6-2.”The victory was particularly significant for Zverev, who had lost the 2020 US Open final to Dominic Thiem after leading by two sets and being two points from the title.The German believes those scars have now finally disappeared.“I think the scars of the 2020 final, they kind of disappeared after I won in Paris,” Zverev said. “I said it at Wimbledon. Even though I lost the final, I enjoyed the match. I enjoyed being in the Grand Slam final, I enjoyed playing on Centre Court, and I enjoyed playing in front of an amazing crowd, in front of some celebrities and all that. I enjoyed doing that.”“Whereas before winning in Paris, I felt a lot of stress all the time, because there was always a question mark: ‘Will I ever win one?’ What I think now is just more of a joy to play those kinds of finals.”
Zverev’s verdict on Shelton
Shelton was playing in his first Grand Slam final, but Zverev was impressed by how much the 23-year-old had developed.“I think he’s very talented, but he’s very close to the hard work as well,” Zverev said. “You see him and his father all the time after matches, before matches, working on different things, and every single year he keeps improving something.”“I just played him today. I think this was the best backhand he’s ever hit against me, the most consistent power. There was everything there.”Zverev recalled their first meetings and said Shelton had added a new level of consistency to his game.“I remember a couple of years ago when I first played him, he was always dangerous, he always had that serve, and he always had that forehand. But if you played three, four balls back, there would be an error, and that was absolutely not the case today.”
Ben Shelton, left, and Alexander Zverev pose for a photo together with their trophies. (AP Photo)
‘Right, right now, probably yes’
Zverev’s second major of the season also put him in a unique position in 2026. He is the only player to have won multiple Grand Slam titles this year, while Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have won one each.Asked whether he now considers himself the best player in the world, Zverev was reluctant to make an absolute claim — but conceded that, at this particular moment, he may have the strongest case.“I don’t know how to answer that,” he said. “You have to take everything into consideration. With Jannik Sinner being injured, Carlos Alcaraz coming back from injury after four months, right now, this moment, probably yes.”“Both of them healthy, both of them at the top of their game? Maybe not. But if we say right, right now, with Jannik being injured and Carlos coming back from injury, maybe.”Sinner missed the US Open through injury, while Alcaraz returned to Grand Slam action in New York after a four-month injury layoff.Zverev, however, was quick to acknowledge that the hierarchy could look very different when all three are fully fit.“Four or five months ago, when both of them were healthy, I wasn’t [the best player in the world],” he said. “I was losing to Jannik all the time. If everyone is healthy, I think Jannik is still ahead. It’s as simple as that,” he added.Zverev is 0-5 against Sinner this year, having won just one set against the world No. 1 — a tiebreaker in the Wimbledon final.
