Alexander Zverev confronted a challenging atmosphere at the US Open as he faced home favorite Ben Shelton in the men’s singles final. The crowd's frustration grew due to Zverev's slow serving pace, leading to audible jeers and complaints about his prolonged ball bouncing.

During the match, chair umpire Marijana Veljovic had to remind spectators to keep quiet between Zverev’s first and second serves, especially after a notable incident at 3-3, 40-40 in the second set where Zverev aborted a toss.

Zverev, the German world No. 2, had already attracted criticism for his service routine. His semi-final opponent, Karen Khachanov, commented on the excessive time Zverev took during serves, stating:

The way he bounces the ball... it annoys not only me, of course, a lot of players, because it takes so much time. At the end of the day, if it’s within the rules with the time between points, I cannot say anything against that.

In his first Grand Slam final, Shelton seemed increasingly affected by Zverev’s pace after the latter secured the first set on Arthur Ashe Stadium. Throughout the tournament, Zverev logged 19 hours and 38 minutes on court, leading to speculation that if he spent an average of 10 seconds bouncing the ball before each serve, he might have dedicated over two and a half hours just to that routine.

After his semi-final, Zverev responded to the criticism, saying, "I have no idea why. I’m not doing it on purpose... I’d bounced it 12,000 times or something like that. That’s quite funny." His unique serving style continues to be a focal point in his matches.