Alexander Zverev sends message to Ben Shelton after beating him in the Munich Open final

One week on from losing his grasp on the number two spot in the ATP world rankings, Alexander Zverev has entered the winner’s enclosure once more.

The German has overcome Ben Shelton in straight sets to wow his home crowd and lift the Munich Open title for the third time during his career.

It’s the 24th time that Zverev has won a singles title in his career and this latest one comes as he celebrates his 28th birthday.

Last Sunday, Zverev dropped down to number three in the world rankings following Carlos Alcaraz claiming a win at the Monte Carlo Masters and clearly sliding down that list has done the player some good.

This was a pretty routine win in the final, with Shelton now able to replicate his form from the rest of the week, where he has beaten Botic van de Zandschulp and Francisco Cerundolo.

Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images for BMW

Alexander Zverev sends message to Ben Shelton after beating him in Munich Open final

Given that Zverev is very strong on clay, this result perhaps isn’t surprising but it does showcase that Shelton is vastly improving on the surface with the French Open now on the horizon.

After beating him in Munich earlier today, Zverev had some kind words for Shelton and he believes he’s developing into a very dangerous player.

He said during his on-court interview: “Congratulations to Ben. Incredible week. Incredible tennis. Incredible tournament. You guys have improved so much. Especially on this surface. I remember two years ago was the first time you came to Europe.. you were struggling to win matches here. Now you already have a clay court title. You just made the final of a 500 event. First American in a lot of years to do so.

“You’re playing unbelievable tennis. I think the next few weeks are gonna be great for you as well. Also, to the people in Ben’s box, incredible support. Pops, you obviously come everywhere as well. You’ve been a player yourself. You have one of the best tennis minds I’ve ever been around. Congrats to you. You guys keep improving. You’re becoming one of the most dangerous players on every surface, and it’s great to see.”

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Zverev can be major threat at French Open

When it comes to the Grand Slam titles, Zverev has often been the bridesmaid but he hasn’t had his big day in the sun as the bride yet, losing in three major finals.

Ahead of the French Open, however, this is exactly what Zverev needed and he will now hold a genuine belief that he can get over the line at Roland Garros next month.

Zverev had been number two in the world rankings for a long time before slipping down a place last weekend and perhaps dropping to number three has reinforced his focus.

At 28, it really is time for Zverev to get into that Grand Slam winners club and he will want to do that sooner rather than later to prove all of his doubters wrong.

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