NEW YORK — Alexander Zverev defeated Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-2 in three hours and 33 minutes on Sunday to win the US Open final at Flushing Meadows, securing his first title in New York and the second Grand Slam of his career after his French Open victory earlier this year.
The 29-year-old, who remains second in the ATP Tour rankings behind Jannik Sinner but leads the Italian by 700 points in the ATP Race, said, “I want to thank my team. We went 30 years without winning a Grand Slam title and now we’ve won two within the span of three months. I think God has seen how hard we worked, how much we suffered, how much pain we went through. I think 2026 is the outcome of all the years that happened before.”
The triumph drew scrutiny over the strength of his path. In the history of the ATP rankings, no man had won multiple majors in a season without at least eight top 10 wins, yet Zverev has just two top 10 wins in 2026. He won his French Open crown without having to face the injured Carlos Alcaraz while Sinner was knocked out early, and in New York the Italian withdrew due to a knee issue and the Spaniard was knocked out by Shelton in the quarter-finals.
At the close of ESPN’s coverage, host Chris Fowler highlighted how the 23-year wait for an American men’s champion at Flushing Meadows continues, described Zverev’s run as a “rebirth” and noted the 2027 Australian Open awaits. Seven-time major winner John McEnroe then interjected, “Get healthy Carlos and Jannik,” to which Fowler added, “Please,” as McEnroe let out a quick chuckle.
The remark triggered immediate backlash on social media, where users called the comment unprofessional and belittling to the champion and runner-up, with posts including “Time to get rid of him! Long overdue” and “Embarrassing to end it that way. Yes we all want everyone to be healthy but that was tasteless.” Others defended McEnroe or said he was not wrong. The criticism comes two weeks after McEnroe was criticized for his comments following Mariano Navone’s shock first-round win over Novak Djokovic.