Alexander Zverev claimed his second Grand Slam title earlier this week.
The German star, 30, defeated Ben Shelton in Sunday’s showpiece event, triumphing 6-3, 7-6, 5-7, 6-2 inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Zverev won his first Grand Slam title earlier this year at Roland Garros.
Do you believe that Alexander Zverev will win Grand Slams in 2027 with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz back?
Some onlookers have sought to detract from Zverev’s victory in the aftermath of Sunday’s final, arguing that there was a lack of strong competition along the German’s path to US Open glory.
Boris Becker, a German tennis legend, has sought to silence those critics.
Boris Becker hits out at critics of Alexander Zverev’s US Open triumph
“I thought it was a bit of a shame after that then again the critics came saying, ‘yeah, he only won because Alcaraz and Sinner didn’t play, or Alcaraz did play and Sinner was injured.’ Or ‘he had an easy draw,’” Becker, a three-time Wimbledon champion, said on the Becker-Petkovic podcast.
“So first, point one: it’s not his fault if Sinner gets injured before.
“It’s not his fault if Alcaraz spent four months injured, and thankfully, is back again, and in the quarters against Shelton, loses.
“It’s not his fault if his seeds in that half all lose early. He can only beat the opponent he has to face on the court.
“I actually find that an absolute disgrace,” the German star continued. “Incredible disrespect toward his performance.
“If that were a one-off fluke, okay.
“He’s in the final for a third Grand Slam in a row. Actually, he should in Melbourne – where he served for the match against Alcaraz in the semi – also been in the final.
- Australian Open: lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals, 4-6, 6-7, 7-6, 7-6, 5-7
- Roland Garros: defeated Flavio Cobolli in the final, 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7, 6-1
- Wimbledon: lost to Jannik Sinner in the final, 7-6, 6-7, 3-6, 4-6
- US Open: defeated Ben Shelton in the final, 6-3, 7-6, 5-7, 6-2
“This guy could have been in the final of all four Slams this year. He was in three, he is the current Roland Garros champion, Wimbledon finalist.
“Now people have to finally – in the Autumn of his career – pay him the respect he deserves.
“I’m not wearing a German cap here. I see it as an athlete, as a tennis player. You have to show players respect who simply deliver their performance, and so that is why I’m very happy that Sascha won.”
After triumphing in New York, Zverev’s attention will shift to the Davis Cup.
The German superstar is set to represent his nation in their contest against Croatia from September 19 to 20.
The winner of Germany and Croatia’s match will advance to the Davis Cup Finals, which will take place in November.
Alexander Zverev closes in on the world number one ranking
Winning the US Open has given Zverev a genuine opportunity at seizing the world number one ranking from Jannik Sinner before the end of this year.
Sinner and Zverev are now separated by only 1,540 ranking points heading into the Asian Swing.
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Sinner has 3,650 points to defend before the end of this year, while Zverev has only 1,030 points to his name across the same period.
If Zverev can improve upon his performance from the 2025 Asian Swing, and Sinner suffers one or two early exits, another world number one could be crowned before 2027.
If Zverev does become world number one, he would be the 30th player to achieve the ranking since the ATP was first founded.
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