Nick Saviano Breaks Down the 2026 US Open: Shelton’s Rise, Zverev’s Persistence and American Tennis

Fresh off a memorable 2026 US Open, Florida Tennis Magazine Editor Matt Pressman sat down with renowned coach Nick Saviano at the Saviano High Performance Tennis Academy in Davie, Florida, to break down the tournament and what it revealed about the state of American tennis.

The conversation came after a US Open that saw Alexander Zverev capture his second Grand Slam title of the season, defeating American Ben Shelton in four sets in the final. On the women’s side, Elena Rybakina defeated Aryna Sabalenka for the title, while Americans Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula both reached the semifinals.

For Saviano, one of the biggest stories of the tournament was Shelton’s continued evolution.

“He is still improving,” Saviano said. “His commitment to evolving in his game has been significant, and it’s more on par with the all-time greats we saw — Nadal, Federer, Djokovic, and now Alcaraz and Sinner.”

Saviano pointed to Shelton’s athleticism, but emphasized that his development has gone well beyond his physical gifts. He noted improvements in the American’s backhand, slice, volleys and overall ability to construct points.

“Other than being a great athlete with a pretty big serve, his game had a lot of holes in it when he first came on the tour,” Saviano said. “He’s really improved. He’s much more solid. He’s better at volleying. His backhand has improved significantly. He’s improved his slice.”

Shelton’s run in New York included victories over Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals and Frances Tiafoe in the semifinals before his loss to Zverev. The result moved the former University of Florida star to a career-high No. 4 ranking. 

Saviano believes one of the keys to Shelton taking another step is continuing to improve his ball control, which would allow him to become more sophisticated tactically.

“You show me somebody who’s quick to get out of the point, and a lot of times it’s because they don’t have the confidence to continually be able to stay,” Saviano said. “Ben Shelton is enhancing his ability to play the points based on the fact he has better stroke production and the ability to control the ball more than he used to.”

Zverev, meanwhile, represented another important lesson from the tournament. Six years after losing the 2020 US Open final, the German finally lifted the trophy in New York, just months after winning his first major at Roland Garros.

Saviano sees that breakthrough as a product of persistence rather than simply benefiting from an opportunity in the draw.

“There’s a saying: luck is when hard work and preparation meets opportunity,” Saviano said. “He’s been knocking on the door, and one discouragement after another. But he kept preparing. He kept working. He kept improving.”

Saviano highlighted how Zverev has added to his game over the years, particularly by becoming more comfortable moving forward and improving his serve under pressure.

“Persistence, resilience — that is the ticket,” Saviano said. “Incremental growth in the game and making that the number one objective: to be the best you can be.”

On the women’s side, Saviano offered his perspective on two of the Americans who made deep runs in New York: Gauff and Pegula.

Saviano has previously worked with Gauff and was careful to credit her current team for her success. He described the two-time Grand Slam champion as “a wonderful person, a great champion” and “a future Hall of Famer,” while pointing to the forehand and mindset on serve as areas where she could continue developing.

“She’s always been capable of hitting 115, 120 miles an hour,” Saviano said of Gauff’s serve. “I’ve seen people with a worse serve have what I call a server’s mentality, where they’ve got this confidence and belief in their serve.”

For Saviano, that mentality means stepping to the line looking to dictate rather than simply beginning the point.

“She’s gaining more confidence,” he said, “but more of a server’s mentality would help her enormously.”

When discussing Pegula, Saviano praised her professionalism, return game and groundstrokes but identified her first serve as an area that could make a significant difference.

“She’s got to serve better,” Saviano said. “She doesn’t consistently serve well enough.”

Pegula ultimately fell to Sabalenka in the semifinals, while Gauff lost to eventual champion Rybakina in the other semifinal. It marked the first time since 1975 that the top four women’s seeds all reached the US Open semifinals.

The discussion eventually broadened beyond individual players to the future of American tennis. Saviano, whose coaching career has included time around generations of American stars including Jim Courier, Michael Chang, Andre Agassi and others, believes elite development ultimately comes down to sustained individual attention.

“Once they start getting to world-class level, you’ve got to have somebody that is individually responsible, in charge, and they’ve got skin in the game,” Saviano said.

He pointed to Shelton and the long-term involvement of his father and coach, Bryan Shelton, as an example of that continuity.

“It’s the individual team,” Saviano said. “If somebody isn’t taking a personal professional interest in them and nurturing them, they’re not going to get the world-class foundation they need.”

But after nearly an hour discussing Grand Slam champions, technique, player development and the future of American tennis, Saviano finished with a message that applies well beyond the professional game.

“Enjoy the journey, because the journey is the reward,” Saviano said. “There is no game that I know of in the world that is more analogous to lessons of life than tennis.”

For a coach who has spent decades developing players at every level, that remains the larger point.

“When they say it’s a sport for a lifetime,” Saviano said, “it’s also a sport which teaches you about life.”

Saviano’s perspective on development will also be part of his upcoming book, Planting Seeds of Greatness. During the conversation, he explained that one of the ideas behind the book is the importance of creating the right environment around young athletes — what he described as creating their own “universe” — to nurture their development and allow their passion for the game to grow.

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Written by Associate Editor Osvaldo Godoy. Video shot by Alex Binstok. Video edited by Nathalia Suarez.