Alexander Zverev ATP US Open 2026 Ben Shelton

The surreal explanation from Zverev for not knowing that he had won the match

Diego Jiménez Rubio - 14 Sep 2026
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Zverev explains what happened to him at the end of the match at the US Open. Photo: gettyimages

Alexander Zverev starred in one of the great anecdotes of recent times in world tennis, an unusual event that left everyone speechless. At the moment he won the final against Ben Shelton and proclaimed himself champion of the US Open 2026, he prepared to serve while the whole crowd cheered for him.

A few seconds passed before he realized that, in fact, the match had ended and he was the champion. It had to be his team who told him, with his brother Mischa Zverev leading the way, and the look of astonishment on Sascha's face was a masterpiece. Many fans were left in shock and couldn't believe that a professional tennis player was unaware that he was serving for the title.

Some might think it was a lapse due to lack of concentration, but nothing could be further from the truth. Zverev was so focused on each point and winning his serves that he completely isolated himself from everything. This is not the first time something like this has happened, and Sascha later explained that not knowing he was serving to win the championship helped keep him much calmer.

This is how Zverev explained his lapse after winning the US Open 2026

"I had won the match, it was over, my team knew, and the whole stadium knew, but I had no idea because I had turned to serve. I thought the score was 5-1. I knew I had broken his serve twice, but I thought he had only held once, so I thought: 'Okay, I'm 5-1 up.'

"I told myself I would have a calm service game and then I would get nervous in the next one. I didn't have the chance to get excited because someone alerted me to what had happened. It's actually funny because tennis coaches always tell you to play every point and forget the score. In that moment, I forgot the result and that helped me."

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, La surrealista explicaciĂłn de Zverev al hecho de no saber que habĂ­a ganado el partido