Alexander Zverev won his longed-for first title at the French Open in his 41st Grand Slam. During the fortnight at Roland Garros he managed his emotions and the pressure as the top favorite almost perfectly. In the end, even physical problems helped him.
Second match point, both Alexander Zverev and Flavio Cobolli were at the end of their tether. Cobolli fended off the first match point with a net roller. Cobolli served, Zverev’s return was of manageable quality, Cobolli lured him to the net with a stop. Zverev ran the ball, but was immediately outplayed by his Italian opponent. After more than four hours, the two finalists gave each other nothing in this final rally. Zverev accepted the effort, ran back, played it high to the other side of the net and gave his opponent the final task. And he couldn’t solve it anymore, Cobolli’s smash went way out of bounds. And then 198 cm of tiredness and exhaustion fell on the red sand of Court Philippe Chatrier. Alexander Zverev is the winner of the French Open.
strength, the Coupe des Mousquetaires Zverev then had the opportunity to raise himself up again. He almost lost this strength at the end of the fourth set. “I had cramps, but they weren’t due to exhaustion, they were for mental reasons. But in a way they also helped me, I became looser, I hit with more pressure.”
The label “unfinished” has been dropped
Hardly a portrait or a comment in the last few days has been without the word “unfinished”. In the end, winning one of the four biggest tournaments in the world is the only decisive unit by which player careers are measured. Zverev has had an amazing career so far. 24 titles, including the Olympic gold medal and two wins at the ATP World Championships. But the label “Zero Grand Slams” always hovered over him.
He is now one of those who have won a Grand Slam. He plays in an era in which there has been little to gain for a large group of highly talented players. The “sandwich generation” of players around Zverev, Medvedev, Thiem, Tsitsipas and Co. have so far mostly been victims of a few players who divide the titles among themselves like a cake and only give the crumbs to the rest. Two Grand Slams have been won by players born in the 1990s. Dominic Thiem, who won the US Open 2020 against Zverev and Daniil Medvedev, who also triumphed in New York a year later. First they had to assert themselves against Djokovic, Nadal and Federer, and finally against the young new rulers Alcaraz and Sinner.
Mastered perfectly
Perhaps this grotesquely entertaining French Open was the worthy setting for Zverev’s debut title. Of course, he benefited from Carlos Alcaraz withdrawing before the tournament with a wrist injury. But he was only able to defeat the players who stood in his way in the draw. The fact that Jannik Sinner didn’t wait for the final was due to the enormous heat. Zverev mastered this tournament perfectly from the start.
Zverev cheers with the ball children at the French Open.
Should the 2026 French Open be given an asterisk in men’s singles because Zverev didn’t have to defeat any of the big names? Not at all. He had repeated like a mantra during the 14 days of Roland Garros that he only thought about what he could control himself.
The doubters belied
Zverev is no longer one of the best players who never won a Grand Slam. He also disproved the doubters who claimed he would never win a major title with his tennis. They claimed that without a change of coach it wouldn’t work. He almost stubbornly pointed out that his father was the best coach. His first thanks went to this when he addressed his team in his winning speech.
But Zverev had also noticed in the last 18 months that something had to change if he wanted to attack again. His development towards a more offensive style of play had brought him consistent, good results.
Cobolli was even worse
Zverev has been the top favorite since the second round. “I’ve kept my emotions under control really well these 14 days, with all the early defeats from Jannik, among others. I wasn’t able to do that today. But maybe that’s also human.” The whole tennis world was watching him. Would he be able to withstand the pressure this time? He could. In an ultimately impressive way.
Alexander Zverev (l.) hugs final opponent Fabio Cobolli
At the end of the fourth set it looked again as if the match could slip through his fingers. What he didn’t know and hid well from his counterpart: Cobolli was doing even worse. “I got a cramp in my calf at the end of the fourth set. I then tried to use the break between the fourth and fifth sets, but then I got a cramp in my thigh and then my body said goodbye to me.”admitted a still disappointed Cobolli in the press conference.
The circle in Paris is closing
Four years to the day after the operation that he had to undergo after his semi-final in the same place, when he sprained badly against Rafael Nadal and tore seven ligaments, winning the title has come full circle.
“I experienced the best moments of my sporting career on this pitch, but also the worst moment. I am very happy to now be sitting next to this trophy.” Zverev was still emotional two hours after converting the match point. But, as it is: This title will be history again tomorrow.
Alexander Zverev with the French Open trophy
Tennis never stops. The grass season starts next week, and Wimbledon, still the most prestigious tournament of the year, is coming up in three weeks. A tournament that Zverev has not yet learned to love. He will be able to take it more relaxed. He is now a Grand Slam champion.