Germany’s Alexander Zverev can finally call himself a Grand Slam champion after winning the French Open title Sunday with a 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-1 victory over Italy’s Flavio Cobolli at Paris.
Zverev had 24 career ATP titles and a gold medal at the 2021 Olympics at Japan, but he had been 0-3 in Grand Slam finals, including a loss in the French Open final in 2024, before finally breaking through.
The second-seeded Zverev’s moment arrived when No. 10 Cobolli sent an overhand long of the baseline and Zverev dropped to the red clay, lying on his back in stunned celebration.
It didn’t take long for the 29-year-old Zverev to reflect on his journey.
“We’ve been through injuries, we’ve been through heartbreaks, we’ve been through losses,” Zverev said during the trophy presentation. “We’ve been losers at times as well in the most important moments, but at the end of the day, we’re Grand Slam champions now. And that’s what counts.”
A huge portion of Zverev’s path came on the same Court Philippe-Chatrier that he was celebrating on Sunday.
Zverev was battling legendary Rafael Nadal in the 2022 Roland Garros semifinals when he severely injured his ankle while trying to chase down Nadal’s forehand shot. He was down on the court in agony, was taken off by wheelchair and later underwent surgery that kept him sidelined for the rest of the year.
He ended his Grand Slam drought on the same court that delivered huge anguish.
“This court is so special to me in so many ways,” Zverev said. “I have had the best moments of my life on this court and the worst moment of my life on these courts. I was playing in the corner four years ago over there with seven broken ligaments and two fractured bones. I lost a Grand Slam final here two years ago, but now, finally, it is a happy end.”
On Sunday, Zverev held a 50-42 edge in winners to subdue Cobolli.
Zverev had a chance to win in the match earlier but Cobolli won a tiebreaker in the fourth set to force a deciding fifth set that Zverev dominated. Zverev broke Cobolli’s serve twice to open the final set, took a 4-0 lead and finished off the match with another break of serve.
Zverev overcame nine double faults with a 76% first-serve percentage and saved five of the eight break points he faced. He won 19 of his 22 service games.
In the 2024 French Open final, Zverev lost to Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz. He also lost the 2020 U.S. Open title match after holding a two-set lead over Austria’s Dominic Thiem and lost the 2025 Australia Open final to Jannik Sinner of Italy.
Cobolli was in his first Grand Slam final. The furthest he had advanced in a Grand Slam tournament before this week was the quarterfinal of Wimbledon in 2025.
“If someone asked me who deserves this title, I always said you,” Cobolli said to Zverev during the ceremony. “It has been an honor to share the court with you today. I am happy for you but I am also sad as I was close and I felt it. Now that you have achieved your dream, let me win next time.”
The last Italian to win the French Open was Adriano Panatta in 1976.
–Field Level Media
