A Champion Who Did Not Know He Had Won
Alexander Zverev's victory at the 2026 US Open was remarkable for many reasons, but perhaps none more bizarre than the moment he sent balls back to Ben Shelton to serve, completely unaware he had just clinched the title. The German had to be informed by his own team that he was a Grand Slam champion. It was one of the stranger finales in the tournament's long history, and it left Carlos Alcaraz, watching from home, completely fascinated.
The two stars finally got to discuss the moment in person during a practice session at The O2 Arena in London ahead of the Laver Cup, which runs from September 25th through 27th. Alcaraz pushed Zverev to explain his mindset, and Zverev's answer was disarmingly honest. He thought the score was 1-4 in the final set rather than 2-5, which meant he never felt the pressure of the moment closing in. Alcaraz, rather than laughing it off, actually came around to the idea: genuinely not knowing the stakes, he suggested, turned out to be a real competitive advantage.
Two Champions Now Teammates at Laver Cup
Zverev enters the Laver Cup as a double Grand Slam champion, having won both Roland Garros and the US Open in 2026, while Alcaraz claimed the Australian Open title earlier in the year. For once, these two rivals will share the same side of the net as teammates on Team Europe, captained by Yannick Noah and Tim Henman.
They will be joined by Flavio Cobolli, Casper Ruud, Jakub Mensik, and Rafael Jodar. Standing in their way is a Team World squad featuring Taylor Fritz, Alex de Minaur, and Alexander Bublik, led by Andre Agassi and Pat Rafter, who guided Team World to victory in 2025. TennisDraw users backing Team Europe will be watching this partnership closely from the very first session.
