US Open fans have ripped into ‘disrespectful’ Alexander Zverev after he called out Ben Shelton’s girlfriend, Trinity Rodman, during his US Open victory speech.
The 29-year-old finally banished his Flushing Meadows demons, subduing a New York crowd to win 6-3, 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-2 on Sunday afternoon.
Shortly after the match had ended, Zverev jumped on the microphone to deliver his victory speech and made sure to address Shelton’s doting partner during it.
On Sunday, Rodman, who played for the NWSL’s Washington Spirit earlier in the day, had made a late dash to be in New York for the end of Shelton’s US Open final.
‘Hey Trinity, I thought you have a game today, no? Well done to you as well. You’re the lucky charm, so. Not today, but usually,’ Zverev joked.
Rodman appeared to take the address in her stride, laughing along to the German’s comments while being shown on the big screen inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Fans have called out Alexander Zverev after he addressed Ben Shelton’s girlfriend, Trinity Rodman, during his US Open victory speech after defeating his American rival on Sunday
Soccer star Rodman was left in tears as she watched her boyfriend fall to defeat in the final
Though neither Rodman nor Shelton took the comments as a slight, fans on social media lamented Zverev for his remarks.
‘Bro beat him and took a shot at his girl. Pure humiliation,’ one fan wrote on X. ‘Alexander Zverev is a menace,’ another account added.
‘Didnt care much for this mocking of Trin. She has been all class in the support of her BF,’ another fan wrote on social media.
One fan wrote: ‘Beats him for the title, now trying to steal his gal. Cold,’ while another simply called it: ‘The ultimate disrespect by Zverev.’
Meanwhile, Shelton has called on tennis bosses to impose a shot clock on second serves in the wake of his US Open final defeat by Zverev – after the No 1 seed routinely bouncing the ball more than a dozen times before hitting his serve.
As it stands, players have 25 seconds to start their first service motion after the end of the previous point. There is no strict time limit on second serves, with the rules stating only that it must be hit ‘without delay,’ and no maximum number of ball bounces.
Zverev’s habit has sparked calls for change from tennis legends such as Andy Roddick and John McEnroe. And, in the wake of Sunday’s final, Shelton echoed those frustrations.
The German star finally redeemed his heartbreak in Flushing Meadows back in 2020
‘I think that there should be some sort of rule… limiting time on second serve. You shouldn’t have unlimited time. For our sport, for the fans, I think it’s tough to be sitting there that long for the next play, the next action to happen.’
Shelton added: ‘I’m sure at some point it will be something that these tournaments look at just because there is such a delay in play in some matches.’
According to reports, Zverev had bounced the ball more than 12,000 times over his first five matches at this US Open. Following his semifinal loss to the German, Karen Khachanov claimed: ‘The way he bounces the ball, it annoys not only me, of course, [but] a lot of players.’
