Watch: Alexander Zverev won the US Open, but the crowd had to remind him

Alexander Zverev won the US Open on Sunday but almost missed the moment when he achieved it.

The German defeated American Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2 at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday to win his first US Open title and complete a remarkable 2026 Grand Slam season.

Yet it was the bizarre aftermath of the final point that quickly became one of the most memorable moments of the night.

Serving for the championship at 5-2 in the fourth set, Zverev watched Shelton send his return long. The point was over, the match was won – but the No. 1 seed did not immediately realise it.

Instead of celebrating, Zverev moved back behind the baseline as if preparing for another point.

For a few seconds, the 29-year-old appeared to look towards his box for confirmation before the roar from the packed Arthur Ashe Stadium finally made the reality sink in.

Zverev then raised his arms, smiled and began celebrating the Grand Slam victory he had waited six years to achieve.

The victory completed a stunning year for Zverev, who had already won the French Open at Roland Garros earlier in the season. It also marked a remarkable turnaround from his heartbreaking loss to Dominic Thiem in the 2020 US Open final, when he surrendered a two-set lead.

Away from the court, Zverev reflected on the years of work, setbacks and sacrifices that had finally led to his second Grand Slam title.

He paid an emotional tribute to his mother, Irina, a former professional tennis player, for refusing to let his diagnosis with type 1 diabetes at the age of four limit his ambitions.

“When your 4-year-old son is diagnosed with diabetes and doctors in the office tell you that life and sports will be very limited for that child, it takes a very strong mother to say ‘my son will be whatever he wants to be’,” Zverev said.

He also thanked his father, Alexander Zverev Sr, and his brother Mischa for their role in his journey.

“We went almost 30 years without winning a Grand Slam title and now we’ve won two in a span of three months,” he said.

“I think God has seen how hard we’ve worked, how much we’ve suffered, how much pain we went through and I think that 2026 is the outcome of all the years that happened before.”