Alexander Zverev failed to realise he had just won the US Open after becoming a two-time grand slam champion in New York.
The German would have perhaps expected a muted reaction to his winning moment as he was facing the home hope Ben Shelton in the final.
But the 29-year-old must have lost track of the score because when Shelton put his return long on Championship point, Zverev barely responded.
Instead, the top seed though there was another game to come because he had already hit the balls to the other end of the court to receive.
It wasn’t until Zverev looked up to the scoreboard and the upper deck of the Arthur Ashe Stadium for Zverev to realise he was the champion.
But there was no falling onto his back as, in one of the strangests grand slam title victories of all time, Zverev belatedly burst into a wide smile.
Zverev won his first grand slam title in June at the French Open and also reached the Wimbledon final in July in what is by far the best season of his career.
He is now just the fourth man in the Open era to win his first two grand slam titles in the same year and aiming for world No 1 is now a realistic target.
