Bryan Shelton complains about Zverev: "He hits the ball so hard that it distracts you"

Bryan Shelton is usually a very discreet, respectful, and elegant person in all his interventions. Therefore, his words towards ESPN in the middle of the final of the US Open 2026 between his son, Ben Shelton, and Alexander Zverev were quite surprising. 

Just after the German took the first set, the television network broadcasting the match in the United States briefly spoke with the father and coach of the American, asking him what his son could do to reverse the situation. Bryan, a former tennis player who reached 55 in the world, pointed out that it was all a matter of tactical details, but when it seemed he had finished, he made a comment that sparked a huge media uproar.

Bryan Shelton criticized Zverev in the US Open final

"Zverev bounces the ball so many times before serving that it disrupts your concentration,” he commented. Throughout the rest of the match, both Ben and he were seen desperate about how long the German was taking to serve, to the point that he received a warning from the chair umpire in the third set.

These comments from Bryan Shelton only echo the words of Karen Khachanov in which he criticized Zverev, referring to how his endless bounces before both the first and second serve annoy many tennis players. 

It is important to remember that there is no established rule regulating the time between the first and second serve, something that could be questioned given how the German takes advantage of the bounces in that timeframe, causing discomfort among his peers. 

Additionally, chair umpires could become stricter by penalizing his repeated bounces before the first serve as well. At the end of the match, Zverev was seen affectionately hugging Bryan Shelton, seemingly unaware of the comments he had made about him. 

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Bryan Shelton se queja de Zverev: "Bota tanto la pelota que te desconcentra"