Alexander Zverev looked around confused, looked towards the scoreboard and only then raised his arms. It was only after a few moments delay that the 29-year-old realized his great triumph at the US Open.
With a nerve-racking performance, Zverev was crowned champion of New York for the first time and celebrated his second Grand Slam title. The French Open winner defeated the American Ben Shelton 6:3, 7:6 (7:2), 5:7, 6:2 in the final and became the second German to triumph in the men's singles after Boris Becker in 1989.
Zverev emotionally thanks his mother
“We haven’t won a Grand Slam title in 30 years and now we’ve won two in three months,” said Zverev addressing his team in his victory speech. “I think God saw how much we work, how much we suffered, how much pain went into this.”
He also thanked his mother in emotional words, who believed in a tennis career despite his childhood diabetes diagnosis. “She is the most important and strongest person I know.” He received the trophy from tennis legend Jimmy Connors and proudly raised it into the New York evening sky at 6:14 p.m. local time.
"He's winning the US Open for the first time and doesn't notice it - remarkable," said Becker on sporteurope.tv about the bizarre moment immediately after the end of the match: "That's the scene of the year for me in sport."
A good three months after fulfilling his dream of winning his first Grand Slam title in Paris, Zverev now rounded off his dream season at the four most important tennis tournaments. In contrast to the lost Wimbledon final against Jannik Sinner from Italy, who was now missing due to injury, the 29-year-old dominated the duel with the US star Shelton and also defied the heated pro-American mood in the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“This is a lifelong achievement of the Zverev family,” said Becker. «The path went sometimes up, sometimes down, sometimes to the left and sometimes to the right. But in the end there will be a reckoning - they are the winners." For him, Zverev is “clearly the player of the year”.
Shelton can't handle pressure
In front of the eyes of show greats such as actors Brad Pitt and Pierce Brosnan as well as sports stars such as Lindsey Vonn, Zverev presented himself calmly in his sixth Grand Slam final. After 3:33 hours he completed the triumph with his first match point.
Exactly six years ago to the day, Zverev was only two points away from the title in the US Open final against Austrian Dominic Thiem, but has now done better with the experience he has gained. After four straight wins in a row in this tournament, Zverev lost a set again, but was the better player in long baseline duels.
The 23-year-old Shelton couldn't withstand the immense pressure and also lost the sixth of six duels with Zverev. The world number nine missed the first Grand Slam title for an American male since Andy Roddick in 2003. He would also have been the first black male to win the title since Arthur Ashe in 1968 at the US Open - the legend's widow watched the final in the stands.
Controversy over Zverev's tap: "That'll get you out"
As throughout the tournament, number one seed Zverev once again caused controversy with his frequent tapping of the ball. Shelton complained that Zverev needed a long time to prepare before serving. Referee Marijana Veljović then warned the Hamburg player to go a little faster. “Sascha bounces the ball so often, it gets you out,” criticized Shelton’s father and coach Bryan on ESPN during the game.
Zverev unimpressed by the mood
At the beginning, Shelton was visibly tense. He gave up his serve with a double fault in the first game. After a successful volley by the crowd favorite in the middle of the first set, the spectators jumped up from their seats cheering.
But Zverev was unimpressed by the mood. “I don’t care,” he said before the final in the largest tennis stadium in the world. «I'm used to it, I like atmospheres like that too. I'll enjoy it somewhere too."
And at first he was allowed to do this. On the set point for Zverev, Shelton made another double fault. After 40 minutes, the Hamburg player went to his bench satisfied, his father and coach Alexander Zverev Sr. nodded to him.
Audience drives Shelton
Like the entire tournament, girlfriend Sophia Thomalla was not in his box due to her own professional commitments. Unusually, Shelton also initially had to do without the support of his partner Trinity Rodman. The highest-paid female footballer in the world was on the pitch herself at the same time, but was still in the arena in time for the end of the match.
The audience continued to try to push Shelton forward and now also applauded when Zverev missed the first serve. But the 1.98 meter giant remained stable and didn't allow a break ball in the second set either. When Zverev brought his first serve into the field, he managed to win the point more than 90 percent of the time.
Becker: “When it counts, he plays his best tennis”
In the tie-break, Zverev appeared wide awake. The world number two dominated his opponent in long rallies, quickly led 5-0 and confidently used the lead. “When it counts, he plays his best tennis and whenever things are tight, he manages to bring out his performance,” said Becker as an expert at sporteurope.tv.
In 2020, Zverev was already 2-0 up against Thiem, but he wasted this chance. And towards the end of the third round, Zverev suddenly wobbled again and was faced with three break points. With a slight volley error he ensured Shelton won the set, and the American really heated up the audience again.
Zverev remained undeterred and immediately managed the break in the first game. At 2-1 he received a warning because he took too long to serve. The spectators cheered. But Zverev was once again able to rely on his outstanding physique, unnerved Shelton and was allowed to celebrate freely.
