For one last time at the 2026 US Open, Catherine Whitaker, David Law and Matt Roberts convene to discuss Alexander Zverev’s victory over Ben Shelton in the men’s final.
We start by analysing the match, including Zverev’s excellent management of the occasion and perfect tactics, as well as Shelton’s slow start and poor execution in key moments. There’s also chat about Zverev’s ball bouncing, whether we expected more from Shelton, and the bizarre moment where Zverev didn’t even realise he’d won.
We also discuss why Zverev, with two allegations of domestic abuse against him, both of which he denies, remains an uncomfortable champion for many people and why it feels important to keep talking about that.
Then, in part two, we throw it forward to 2027. Has Zverev made enough strides to overcome Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner if and when they’re back to full fitness? And where does Shelton fit into the landscape at the top of men’s tennis?
Thank you to Steve Furgal’s International Tennis Tours Tours4Tennis.com/Podcast, the Premium Hospitality and Experience provider for supporting our US Open coverage.
They can organise your dream tennis-watching experience at the biggest tournaments in the world, inducing the WTA Finals held this year at Indian Wells, 8th-15th November.
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