Everything was set for Carlos Alcaraz to be the US Open champion for the third time and to return triumphantly after months of being injured. But the one who has reigned in New York has been Alexander Zverev. The German, for years the player who carried a curse according to which he would never win a major tournament, has shaken off his fears in a 2026 in which he surprised everyone by winning two Grand Slam titles: first in Paris and now at Flushing Meadows, by defeating the American Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6, 5-7 and 6-2. The key? Concentration. Focusing on every second, on every point, on every detail. He did it so well that when he won the tournament he didn't know it. He was focused on winning every point and for a few seconds he was ready to play the next one while everyone was already standing up to cheer for him.

Jannik Sinner is becoming the Midas king of tennis. The young Italian, world number 1, has revalidated the champion title at Wimbledon after defeating the German Alexander Zverev. It is the fifth Grand Slam title for the 24-year-old from South Tyrol, who already shone at the All England Club in Wimbledon a year ago, when he defeated Carlos Alcaraz. Today he did so against a Zverev who put up a fight with very solid play similar to what we had seen a few months ago at Roland Garros, when the German won the first Grand Slam title of his career. But Sinner has ended his dream of winning a second major title this season in a final decided in four sets (6-7, 7-6, 6-3, and 6-4).

Alexander Zverev has shed the weight that had prevented him from smiling in recent years. The Hamburg player has finally won a Grand Slam tournament. After a decade of failing when it seemed he would win one of the four most coveted tournaments, he was able to raise his arms to the sky in Paris, triumphant. In the Roland Garros final, the German lived up to expectations, defeating Italian Flavio Cobolli in five sets (6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7, and 6-1). All the stars had aligned in Zverev's favor this year, and he took advantage of it. First, the defending champion, Carlos Alcaraz, withdrew due to injury. Then, the world number 1, Jannik Sinner, was surprisingly eliminated, feeling unwell during his third-round match. And the veteran Serbian Novak Djokovic also did not capitalize on the scenario to reach the final. It was Zverev's year, who at times played with fire, especially after seeing Cobolli force a fifth set. In this last set, however, the player born in Florence collapsed.