US Open news: Zverev apologises, Shelton wants rule change, McEnroe in trouble again

It's finally time to bring the curtain down on the US Open, which has provided no shortage of excitement over the last two weeks. The champions were decided over the weekend, with Elena Rybakina beating Aryna Sabalenka in the women's final. It marked a repeat of what happened at the Australian Open and saw Rybakina beat the player she is replacing at the top of the WTA rankings.

The men's final took place the following day, with Alexander Zverev needing four sets to defeat home favourite Ben Shelton. Zverev won the first two to put himself within touching distance of a second Grand Slam title, only for Shelton to give himself hope of a comeback by nicking the third. From there, Zverev held firm and steamrolled to victory.

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Express Sport rounds up the latest news from New York in the wake of the closing weekend...

Zverev issues apology

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Zverev apologised to US Open tournament director Eric Butorac almost immediately after beating Shelton, with the German well aware that the crowd wanted an American winner.

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During his on-court interview, he said: "Eric [Butorac], first year as a tournament director, congratulations to you for putting up such an amazing event. I'm sorry it's the wrong winner this year!

"I did my job but thank you very much, you did amazing. The crowd, I know that today 99.9 per cent of people wanted Ben to win so I'm very sorry, first of all.

"But second, it was an incredible atmosphere to play in. Even though I know the crowd was against me, the crowd was always incredibly fair. We as players appreciate it. You guys brought the energy and the noise and we really thank you guys for that."

Shelton demands rule change

In his post-match press conference, Shelton suggested that a shot clock should be introduced for second serves after being thrown off his stride by Zverev's meticulous routine.

The latter received a number of time violation warnings in the final two rounds of the US Open, sparking frustration over how many times he bounced the ball before serving.

"I think that there should be some sort of rule," said Shelton. "I'm not sure exactly how you would do it, limiting time on second serve. You shouldn't have unlimited time.

"I think it's, 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.

"I'm sure at some point it will be something that these tournaments look at just because there is such a delay in play, you know, in some matches."

McEnroe lands in hot water

John McEnroe has been feeling the fury of fans on social media after making a controversial comment in the wake of Zverev's victory.

Referencing the top two players in the world, McEnroe signed off his commentary duties with ESPN by saying: "Get well soon, Carlos and Jannik."

Since then, the outspoken American has received plenty of backlash on social media, with some suggesting that his comments were disrespectful to Zverev.

@Tiempodetenis1 wrote on X (formerly Twitter): "You may like or dislike Alexander Zverev, but it wasn't the best moment to make that comment."

@jwkelly2 added: "McEnroe a sore US loser right there! Arrogant as Shelly," while @michnormakrause claimed: "Unbelievably disrespectful."

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