Ben Shelton rages at 'stupid' tennis rule after losing US Open final to Alexander Zverev

Ben Shelton branded a tennis rule "stupid" after becoming embroiled in a serving-time dispute during his US Open final defeat by Alexander Zverev.

The American's bid to end his country's long wait for a male Grand Slam singles champion was crushed in New York as Zverev powered to a 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2 victory.

But Shelton left Arthur Ashe Stadium frustrated by more than the result after chair umpire Marijana Veljovic instructed him to take up his receiving position earlier while Zverev worked through his lengthy pre-serve routine.

The German repeatedly bounced the ball before serving throughout the tournament and was eventually handed a time violation during the fourth set for exceeding the permitted 25 seconds.

Shelton, however, insisted it was unreasonable to expect him to remain crouched and fully alert while waiting for his opponent to complete as many as 25 bounces.

"There is not an athlete in the world who is going to watch them do their thing and sit in the ready position for 30 seconds before the play starts," he said.

"I am not going to sit there in a ready position with my knees bent and tension in my body for 30 seconds while I'm waiting."

The beaten finalist stressed that he was never in danger of delaying Zverev's delivery and demanded greater common sense from officials.

"She was telling me that I needed to get to the line earlier and I was like he can start his routine whenever he wants," Shelton explained.

"I promise you there will never be a time where he serves and I'm not ready.

"But I should not have to sit at the line if he is bouncing the ball 20 to 25 times. I should not have to just sit there for that.

"I think that's a stupid rule that you have to be sitting there if it's a guy who has his routine. As long as you are ready when he puts his hands together and stops bouncing the ball, that's what should matter."

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Shelton also suggested tennis authorities should consider restricting the time allowed between first and second serves to prevent matches becoming unnecessarily drawn out.

Meanwhile, Zverev claimed his second Grand Slam title of 2026 and strengthened his chances of dislodging injured Jannik Sinner as world No 1 in the process.

His triumph also completed a remarkable hard-court major double after he captured the Australian Open earlier this season emphatically.

Asked whether he could now call himself the world's best player, Zverev delivered a qualified verdict.

"With Jannik Sinner being injured, Carlos Alcaraz coming back from injury after four months, right now, this moment, probably yes," he said.

"Both of them healthy, both of them at the top of their game? Maybe not."

He added: “Four or five months ago, when both of them were healthy, I wasn’t [the best player in the world].

“I was losing to Jannik all the time.

“If everyone is healthy, I think Jannik is still ahead.

"It’s as simple as that.”