Zverev overcomes 10 years of absence and injuries to win US Open... Achieved 2 major championships

Alexander Zverev (29, Germany) overcame setbacks, controversies, and injuries that lasted for more than 10 years and won two gold medals at a major tennis tournament in 2026.

He won the title of champion in a major tournament for the first time in his life at the French Open last June, and was runner-up at Wimbledon, but won the honor again by defeating Ben Shelton of the United States at the US Open, which ended on the 14th (Korean time).

In the past three years, only three players have won the men's singles title in two major tournaments in one year: Jannik Sinner (Italy), Carlos Alcaras (Spain), and Zverev.

Unlike Sinner and Alcaras, who were 25 and 23 years old respectively and collected several major championship trophies in their early and mid-20s, Zverev was 29 years old and only won a major championship before turning 30.

If we turn back 10 years, Zverev was also a player who received a lot of attention like Sinner and Alcaras.

Born to parents who were elite tennis players in the former Soviet Union, he was expected to be an all-round player with strength, skill, and endurance at 198 cm tall.

However, it was not a smooth road. I have continued my career as an athlete despite having diabetes since childhood.

In 2022, while playing against Rafael Nadal (retired, Spain) in the semifinals of the French Open, he suffered a serious injury where his right ankle was severely bent and his ankle ligaments were ruptured.

He also experienced being labeled as a ‘problem child’ due to suspicions that he had committed violence against his former lovers.

An investigation by the ATP Tour determined that there was insufficient evidence to impose disciplinary action, but the case involving Brenda Patea, who is also the mother of his daughter, led to a summary order and fine in a German court in 2023.

Zverev appealed, and the two sides reached an agreement in June 2024.

The 2020 US Open was the first time Zverev reached the final of a major tournament.

In the final against Dominic Thiem (Austria), who has now retired early, he was ahead 2-0 but had to swallow his disappointment when he lost.

Looking back at the time after this win, Zverev said, "At that time, I had trouble with my serve, especially my second serve. I thought my serve could break at any time. Fortunately, that has changed now."

Even though he overcame an ankle injury in 2022 and continued his upward trend, the major tournament finals jinx continued.

He lost to Alcaras in the finals of the 2024 French Open and to Sinner in the finals of the 2025 Australian Open.

From the 2024 Australian Open to this year's Australian Open, when Sinner and Alcaras shared the major championship trophy for the ninth time in a row, it seemed like their duopoly would last forever. But Zverev broke it down.

He laughed and said, “I believed. I believed that I could win,” and “But there were probably many of you who didn’t believe.”