Alexander Zverev is back in business. The German gave himself a memorable birthday present by clinching the Munich title with a solid 6-2, 6-4 win over Ben Shelton in the final. It was his 24th tour-level trophy and his first since reaching the Australian Open final earlier this year. Since that Melbourne run, the 28-year-old had gone 6-6 on tour, including first-round exits in Indian Wells and Monte-Carlo. Not ideal, especially when you’re the top seed. But back on home soil in Munich, he flipped the script. Calm, composed, and completely in control all week, he got the job done. But he was was especially gracious in victory!

This was a special win for Zverev for more reasons than one. Not only did he pick up his sixth ATP 500 title, but he also became the first champion of Munich’s upgraded ATP 500 edition. It marked his third trophy at the tournament after back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018—putting him level with fellow German Philipp Kohlschreiber for most titles in Munich.

Adding to the feel-good story was Zverev’s 2-0 record now against Shelton in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series. And the German didn’t stop there—he turned the spotlight to Shelton in his winning speech. He had words of praise for Shelton, who became the first American to reach the first ATP 500 final on clay. He said,“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 a 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.”

The German also gave a special mention to Ben Shelton’s father. He continued, “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.”

Ben Shelton’s dad is no stranger to the tennis world. Bryan Shelton played professionally for nine years, peaking at World No.60 and reaching a mixed doubles final at the French Open in 1993. He retired in 1997 but stayed in the game, building a standout college coaching career. He’s the only coach in Division I history to win a women’s NCAA title (2007) and a men’s (2021). Last year, he left his coaching role at the University of Florida to work full-time with his son. Turns out, father-son coaching teams are a bit of a trend. Zverev also has his dad by his side.

Alexander Zverev opens up on his relationship with his father

Alexander Zverev Sr., a former pro himself, has coached his son from the beginning. His mother, Irina Zverev, also played a big part in his junior career, helping him lift the Junior Australian Open trophy before his dad took the reins when he turned pro.

It’s not always smooth sailing when your coach is your parent. Just ask Stefanos Tsitsipas. But Zverev says he’s found a balance. At the 2024 US Open, he opened up about how they make it work. “Well, off the court I just spend zero time with my father, so that’s a starting point,” he said. “We have enough of each other on the court. But look, I mean, we’re all grown-ups. We all have a family ourselves. We all know how it works to have a family.”

Despite their intense training sessions, Zverev insists things are healthy between them. “I know that some players if they have their parents as coaches, they have quite a toxic relationship,” he said. “There’s a lot of fighting going on. There’s a lot of arguing. There’s a lot of, you know, just not healthy stuff I would say. Where I have to say that’s not the case with us at all. We understand each other off the court the moment we get off it, and on the court it’s about practice, it’s about improving.”

Back to the rankings—Zverev had recently lost his World No.2 spot to Carlos Alcaraz after Monte Carlo. But with his win in Munich and Alcaraz’s loss to Holger Rune in Barcelona, Zverev is back at No.2 again.

Next up? Madrid. Zverev is set to play the Madrid Open starting 23 April. That’s one of his final stops before Roland Garros, where he made the final last year. The World No.2’s birthday week had everything—redemption, ranking rise, home crowd love, and a little coaching family pride. Can he carry this momentum all the way to Paris?