Alexander Zverev had waited six years to erase the pain of his 2020 US Open final defeat. When the moment finally arrived at Flushing Meadows on Sunday, the German almost missed it.The No. 1 seed defeated American Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2 to win his first US Open title and complete a remarkable Grand Slam season. But it was the bizarre aftermath of the winning point that quickly went viral.
Zverev ‘s hilarious winning moment
Zverev served for the championship at 5-2 in the fourth set. Shelton sent the return long, and the match was over. Yet Zverev did not immediately react.Instead, the German moved back behind the baseline as though he was preparing for the next point. There was no immediate fist pump, no leap and no arms raised in celebration.It was only when the crowd rose to its feet and the huge ovation made the situation sink in that Zverev realised he had just won the US Open.He then raised his arms, smiled and finally celebrated the victory he had chased for so long.The official US Open account shared the moment on social media with the caption: “HE DIDN’T REALIZE HE’D WON”, alongside the message that Zverev had “exorcised his 2020 demons” by defeating Shelton.The unusual celebration offered a striking contrast to the emotional significance of the victory.Watch:
From 2020 heartbreak to two-time Grand Slam champion
Six years earlier, Zverev had been just two points from winning his maiden Grand Slam title against Dominic Thiem in New York. He led by two sets and even served for the championship before suffering a devastating five-set defeat.That loss remained one of the defining scars of his career.But after winning the French Open earlier this year, Zverev said the wounds from that 2020 defeat had finally disappeared.“The scars of the 2020 (U.S. Open) final, they disappeared after I won in Paris,” Zverev said. “I said at Wimbledon, though I lost in the final, I enjoyed the match … enjoyed playing on Centre Court in front of an amazing crowd.”The German has now turned a season of Grand Slam opportunities into his best year at the biggest tournaments. He won the French Open, reached the Wimbledon final and finished with a second major title after triumphing in New York.Zverev improved to 25-2 in Grand Slam matches in 2026 and collected $5.5 million for his US Open triumph.
‘2026 is the outcome of all the years’
While the victory was a personal breakthrough, Zverev also credited his family and team for helping him reach the summit.He paid an emotional tribute to his mother Irina, a former professional tennis player, for refusing to allow his type 1 diabetes diagnosis at the age of four to dictate his future.“When your 4-year-old son is diagnosed with diabetes and doctors in the office tell you that life and sports will be very limited for that child, it takes a very strong mother to say ‘my son will be whatever he wants to be’,” Zverev said.He also thanked his father Alexander Zverev Sr and brother Mischa, before reflecting on the long journey behind his second major title.“We went almost 30 years without winning a Grand Slam title and now we’ve won two in a span of three months,” he said.“I think God has seen how hard we’ve worked, how much we’ve suffered, how much pain we went through and I think that 2026 is the outcome of all the years that happened before.”For Shelton, meanwhile, the defeat extended the wait for an American men’s Grand Slam champion. The 23-year-old had hoped to become the first American man since Andy Roddick in 2003 to win a major, but Zverev’s breakthrough ensured that New York’s long wait would continue.
