For a long time, it seemed like Alexander Zverev will end his career as the greatest player to never win a Grand Slam.
Tennis’ nearly man changed his fortunes in 2026, however, by collecting the Roland Garros title and following it up by winning the US Open.
Zverev capitalised on injuries to Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz to claim his Grand Slam titles and he reigned supreme against players ranked below him.
Despite winning two Grand Slam titles, Zverev has only picked up two top 10 victories in 2026, which has seen him receive criticism from some tennis fans.
Boris Becker has caught what many critics have been saying about Zverev since his US Open title victory and he is far from happy with the star’s treatment.
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Speaking on his podcast with Andrea Petkovic, Becker said: “I thought it was a bit of a shame after that then again the critics came saying, ‘Yeah, he only won because Alcaraz and Sinner didn’t play, or Alcaraz did play and Sinner was injured.’
“Or ‘He had an easy draw.’ So first, point one: it’s not his fault if Sinner gets injured before. It’s not his fault if Alcaraz spent four months injured, and thankfully, is back again, and in the quarters against Shelton, loses.
“It’s not his fault if his seeds in that half all lose early. He can only beat the opponent he has to face on the court. I actually find that an absolute disgrace. Incredible disrespect toward his performance.
“If that were a one-off fluke, okay. He’s in the final for a third Grand Slam in a row. Actually, he should in Melbourne – where he served for the match against Alcaraz in the semi – also been in the final. This guy could have been in the final of all four Slams this year.
“He was in three, he is the current Roland Garros champion, Wimbledon finalist. Now people have to finally – in the Autumn of his career – pay him the respect he deserves.
“I’m not wearing a German cap here. I see it as an athlete, as a tennis player. You have to show players respect who simply deliver their performance, and so that is why I’m very happy that Sascha won.”
Zverev defeated Ben Shelton, Karen Khachanov, Botic van de Zandschulp, Luciano Darderi, Alejandro Tabilo, Quentin Halys, and Lorenzo Sonego to win the US Open.
At Roland Garros, meanwhile, Zverev find a way past Benjamin Bonzi, Tomas Machac, Halys, Jesper de Jong, Rafael Jodar, Jakub Mensik, and Flavio Cobolli to win his maiden Grand Slam.
