Alexander Zverev was left in shock after suggestions that he was flirting with Ben Shelton's girlfriend at the recent US Open final. The German won his second Grand Slam title of 2026, having originally broken his voodoo at the French Open earlier this year.
US Open victory and Rodman reference
Zverev was crowned US Open champion for the first time earlier this month after beating Shelton in the final, and during his acceptance speech, the 29-year-old referenced Trinity Rodman directly. Rodman is a star in her own right, having established herself as an elite-level football player in the United States.
However, Rodman had an issue on the day of Shelton's maiden Grand Slam final, as she was scheduled to play a match for her Washington Spirit side. It led to debates as to whether she would skip the match to support her partner, but in the end she was able to commute directly after full-time in the Spirit fixture.
Zverev's response to the backlash
Zverev referenced this in his post-match interview, saying: "Trinity, I thought you had a match today, no? Well played to you too. You're the lucky charm. Not today, but usually."
Some on social media interpreted this as Zverev flirting with Rodman, with the former having since broken his silence on the saga. He bluntly said: "Trinity Rodman?! Oh, psh. No, no. Definitely not. I love Ben. I love his father. I love his whole family. I like Trinity quite a lot. I think whoever thinks that I was flirting or anything like that are idiots."
Laver Cup ambitions
All eyes are on Zverev and his Team Europe team-mates ahead of the Laver Cup getting underway. Speaking ahead of the international event, he remarked: "I think we have. We have great champions and teams.
"We all know what it takes to win. For me personally, it was quite a satisfying year. But we're here, the Laver Cup as a team. I think for us, the main goal is to lift the trophy and to bring it back to Europe. And we do it as a team. We do it as a group of players, and hopefully we can achieve that goal."
Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz added: "Being able to come back here to the Laver Cup with these guys, I would say it's even better. I will try to do my best and try to fight for the team as best as I can. That's why this event is unique because I'm usually fighting [on my own] during the whole year, and then having them as a coaches, it's great."
