Zverev was the best in the majors this year, but won't call himself the best player in tennis

Associated Press

Sep 14, 2026

Alexander Zverev, of Germany, holds his trophy after winning the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships against Ben Shelton, of the United States, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Alexander Zverev, of Germany, kisses the trophy after winning the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships against Ben Shelton, of the United States, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Alexander Zverev, of Germany, holds up his trophy after winning the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships against Ben Shelton, of the United States, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

Alexander Zverev, of Germany, poses with the trophy after he won the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships against Ben Shelton, of the United States, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

NEW YORK (AP) — Alexander Zverev won two Grand Slam titles and reached another final this year. He was the best player in the biggest events.

He's not ready to call himself the best player in tennis though.

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Ben Shelton seemed willing to at least consider it after Zverev beat him 6-3, 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-2 on Sunday in the U.S. Open final to add that trophy to the French Open title he won in June.

“You’re one of the very best players in the world, maybe the best player in the world this year,” Shelton told Zverev during the trophy presentation.

This year, of course, was different than last year.

Carlos Alcaraz won the Australian Open title, but then had to miss the French Open and Wimbledon with a right wrist injury, getting hurt in April and then not playing again until the U.S. Open. Jannik Sinner beat Zverev in the Wimbledon final, but then the top-ranked player in men's tennis couldn't play in New York because of a knee injury.

Sinner and Alcaraz met in the last three Grand Slam finals in 2025.

Zverev took all that into consideration when asked if he considered himself the best player in men's tennis.

“With Jannik Sinner being injured and Carlos Alcaraz coming back from injury after four months, right now, this moment, probably yes. Both of them healthy and both of them at the top of their game, maybe not,” Zverev said.

“But if we say 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.”

Zverev did his job in the majors by beating the players who were there.

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He went 25-2 in the four biggest tournaments and was the only man to reach the semifinals of all four. Forced to play five-setters in each of the first two rounds of the U.S. Open, the first No. 1-seeded man to do that in the Open era that dates to 1968, he didn't drop another set until the final.

Shelton, who can fire serves at more than 140 mph, said Zverev had the best serve on tour.

“I think you combine that with as good as he is as a tennis player outside the serve, you know how complete he is, he’s gotten so much better at the net,” Shelton said. “He’s an elite mover at 6-7. He’s got a lot of length, so he returns really well. Solid from the baseline and one of the fittest guys on tour, too. Yeah, he’s a tough guy to play, 100%.”

Shelton also said Zverev works harder than anyone he knew, and the German seemed more willing to agree with that assessment than the one about being the best player.

“I think I’m up there, for sure, because I’ve said it before, I don’t think I’m the most talented in any way. I don’t think I’m a God-given talent like some other guys are,” Zverev said. “I think most of my tennis is through hard work, through a lot of hours spent on the court, and through a lot of hours spent in the gym and on the track. That’s how I play tennis.”

The hard work helped him climb back toward the top after a severe ankle injury he sustained in the French Open semifinals in 2022, and finally to win the U.S. Open trophy he thought he should have had two years earlier.

Zverev won the first two sets against Dominic Thiem and got within two points of victory before becoming the first man to blow a two-set lead and lose in the final since 1949. That loss became easier to stomach once he finally broke through in Paris, even more so after he added another trophy and the $5.5 million winner's check Sunday.

“I think the scars of the 2020 final, they kind of disappeared after I won in Paris,” Zverev said. "I said it in Wimbledon. Even though I lost the final, I enjoyed the match, I enjoyed being in the Grand Slam final, I enjoyed playing on Centre Court, I enjoyed playing in front of an amazing crowd, in front of some celebrities and all that. I enjoyed doing that.

“Whereas before winning in Paris, I felt a lot of stress all the time, because there was always a question mark: Will I ever win one? What I think now is just more of a joy to play those kind of finals.”

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See AP’s full tennis coverage here