Watch: Alexander Zverev didn’t realize he had won the US Open – until the crowd told him

Alexander Zverev celebrates after winning the men’s singles final at the US Open. (AP photo) Alexander Zverev waited six years to erase the pain of his 2020 US Open final defeat. When the moment finally arrived at Flushing Meadows on Sunday, the German nearly missed it.The No. 1 seed defeated American Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2 to claim his first US Open title and cap off a remarkable Grand Slam season. But it was the bizarre aftermath of the winning point that quickly went viral.

Zverev’s hilarious winning moment

Zverev served for the championship at 5-2 in the fourth set. Shelton sent the return long and the match was over. Still, Zverev did not immediately react.Instead, the German returned behind the baseline as if preparing for the next point. There was no instant punching, no jumping, and no arms raised in celebration.It wasn’t until the crowd rose to their feet and a huge ovation drowned out the situation that Zverev realized he had just won the US Open.Then he raised his hands, smiled and finally celebrated the victory he had been chasing for so long.The official US Open account shared the moment on social media with the caption: “DID NOT KNOW HE WON”, along with the message that Zverev had “exorcised his demons for 2020” by defeating Shelton.The unusual celebration offered a stark contrast to the emotional significance of the victory.Watch:

From 2020 heartbreaker to two-time Grand Slam champion

Six years ago, Zverev was just two points away from winning his first Grand Slam title against Dominic Thiem in New York. He led by two sets and even served for the championship before suffering a devastating five-set defeat.This loss remained one of the defining scars of his career.But after winning the French Open this year, Zverev said the wounds of defeat in 2020 have finally faded.“The scars from the 2020 (US Open) final disappeared after I won in Paris,” Zverev said. “I said at Wimbledon, even though I lost in the final, I enjoyed the match … I enjoyed playing on center court in front of an amazing crowd.The German has now turned a season of Grand Slam opportunities into his best year at the biggest tournaments. He won the French Open, reached the final of Wimbledon and finished with his second major title after triumphing in New York.Zverev improved to 25-2 in Grand Slam matches in 2026 and collected $5.5 million for his triumph at the US Open.

“2026 is the result of all the years”

While the win was a personal breakthrough, Zverev also credited his family and team for helping him reach the top.He paid an emotional tribute to his mother Irina, a former professional tennis player, for refusing to let a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes dictate his future at the age of four.“When your four-year-old son is diagnosed with diabetes and the doctors in the office tell you that life and sports will be very limited for this child, it takes a very strong mother to say ‘my son will be whatever he wants,'” Zverev said.He also thanked his father Alexander Zverev Sr. and brother Mischa before reflecting on the long journey to his second major title.“We haven’t won a Grand Slam title in almost 30 years and now we’ve won two in the space of three months,” he said.“I think God saw how hard we worked, how much we suffered, how much pain we went through, and I think 2026 is the result of all the years that happened before.”For Shelton, meanwhile, the defeat extended his wait for the US men’s Grand Slam champion. The 23-year-old had hoped to become the first American since Andy Roddick in 2003 to win a major, but Zverev’s breakthrough ensured New York’s long wait continued.