Fresh off a commanding US Open triumph, Alexander Zverev believes he currently stands as the world’s top tennis player—even if qualified by the health of his main rivals.
The 29-year-old German shattered American dreams in New York on Sunday, September 20, by dispatching home favorite Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6 (7-2), 5-7, 6-2.
Entering his sixth Grand Slam final against a first-time finalist, Zverev relied on his experience to extend the American men’s major title drought, which has stretched back to Andy Roddick’s victory in 2003.
Zverev’s milestone caps a formidable Grand Slam campaign. After capturing his maiden major at the French Open and finishing runner-up to Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon, his US Open win capitalised on an opening created by his top competitors’ physical setbacks.
World No. 1 Sinner withdrew prior to the event due to injury, while Australian Open champion Carlos Alcaraz was ousted in the quarter-finals by Shelton following a four-month injury hiatus.
When asked if his recent run makes him the premiere player on the tour, Zverev offered a candid assessment:
“You have to take everything into consideration. With Jannik Sinner being injured and Carlos Alcaraz coming back from injury after four months, right now, probably yes. Both of them healthy and both of them at the top of their game, maybe not”.
“But if we say right, right now with Jannik being injured and Carlos coming back from injury, maybe. I mean, four, five months ago when both of them were healthy, I wasn’t. I was losing to Jannik all the time. So if everyone is healthy, I think Jannik is still ahead. It’s as simple as that.”
The climax of the match produced a bizarre moment of confusion. Focused entirely on the point-by-point battle, Zverev failed to realize he had secured match point when Shelton sent a return long.
Thinking the fourth-set score was only 5-1, he walked back toward the baseline to prepare for the next point. It took the umpire’s call of “Game, set, and match” and a roaring standing ovation from the crowd for him to realize the tournament was over, prompting a delayed smile before he approached the net to embrace Shelton.
“I thought the score was 5-1!” Zverev later admitted. “I knew that I had broken him twice, but I thought he only held once.”
Driven by a more aggressive playstyle and steady tactical improvements over the past year, Zverev’s perseverance has placed him within striking distance of the sport’s highest peak.
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Armed with 9,690 ranking points in the latest standings, he trails Sinner by 1,810 points as he sets his sights on becoming the 30th player to claim the ATP World No. 1 ranking.