Alexander Zverev wins the Roland Garros and claims the first Grand Slam title of his career

A dramatic final of over four hours

The match had started under Zverev's sign, as he dominated the first set with a swift 6-1, only to surrender the second set 4-6 after losing his serve at 3-4, a passage that reignited the ambitions of the young Italian. Cobolli, ATP ranking No. 14 in his first Major final, then snatched the third set in a tiebreak after Zverev had squandered a 3-1 lead, leveling the match and carried by the crowd chanting in his support.

In the fourth set, Zverev was forced to call the physiotherapist for a discomfort in his right thigh after consolidating the break at 6-5, but he managed to return to the court for the decisive set with the necessary lucidity. The fifth set was a monologue by the German, who took advantage of Cobolli's physical drop — as highlighted by Boris Becker's comment: «Nicht zu glauben, wie Cobolli jetzt aufdreht» — to close it out quickly with a double break and another 6-1.

Cobolli had reached the final without playing the semifinal, after his compatriot Matteo Arnaldi had withdrawn for health reasons, but Zverev had stated on the eve that this detail would make no difference. The run of the Roman player, born in 2002, was nevertheless remarkable: never past the quarterfinals in a Grand Slam before this week, he eliminated high-ranked opponents and reached the final in the tournament hoping to become the first Italian to win the men's singles at Roland Garros since Adriano Panatta in 1976.

Cobolli's run, surprise finalist

Zverev had been the undisputed favorite of the tournament since the early elimination of Jannik Sinner, world No. 1, knocked out in the second round after squandering a two-set and 5-1 lead against the Argentine Juan Manuel Cerundolo in the first week of play. Carlos Alcaraz also did not take part in Roland Garros, while Novak Djokovic was eliminated on the same day as Sinner, effectively clearing the path to a Major outside the Sinner-Alcaraz duopoly that had dominated the circuit since the 2023 US Open.

The Paris title is the 25th of Zverev's career and crowns a journey that began with the final lost at the 2020 US Open against Dominic Thiem, when he was up two sets to love, continued with the five-set defeat against Alcaraz in the 2024 Roland Garros final, and with the clear setback against Sinner at the 2025 Australian Open. After the last of those three finals, Zverev had stated: «Ich will nicht als der beste Spieler enden, der nie einen Grand Slam gewonnen hat» — a sentence that no longer represents him.

The German wait ends after 30 years

On the eve of the final, Zverev had maintained his «match by match» mindset, refusing to burden himself with the pressure of the prediction: «Das Einzige, worauf ich Einfluss habe, ist mein nächstes Match», he had explained. Boris Becker, Eurosport commentator and the last German to win a Grand Slam in singles, said he was deeply proud: «Er hat das mehr als verdient. Das ist unglaublich, ich bin sehr stolz auf ihn. Ich bin sehr stolz auf ihn. Ein Lebenstraum geht in Erfüllung. Dafür hat er und seine ganze Familie so hart gearbeitet.»

On Court Philippe Chatrier, a sign on the opposite stand read «victory belongs to the most tenacious», a slogan that fit well with the determination shown by Zverev over the more than four hours of play. At the trophy ceremony, the German let himself fall onto the sand in tears after converting his second match point, finally closing a wait that had lasted 41 — or 42, according to some sources — attempts in a Major. «Jetzt ist es endlich ein Happy End», he said from the stage, addressing his family: «Wir waren eine Zeit lang auch Verlierer in den entscheidenden Momenten, aber am Ende des Tages sind wir jetzt Grand-Slam-Champions - und das ist das, was zählt.»

Cobolli wanted to pay tribute to the winner with words of esteem: «Sascha, wenn mich jemand gefragt hat, wer diesen Titel am meisten verdient, habe ich immer gesagt, dass du es bist.» Zverev had moreover described his rival as «super-talentiert, super-jung, er verbessert sich immer wieder» and «ein netter Mensch», underlining the personal bond that has linked them since junior tournaments. The two had already faced each other twice during the season on clay, in a duel that promises to be repeated in the upcoming events of the circuit.

The voices of the protagonists and the experts

Zverev's success ends a long wait for German tennis, which had not seen a man lift a Grand Slam trophy for nearly three decades, and projects the world No. 3 toward the central phase of the season. Among the scheduled events is the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, where the presence of the fresh Roland Garros champion represents an exceptional draw. Cobolli, for his part, is expected at the Generali Open in Kitzbühel in July and then also in Vienna in October, in addition to continuing his rise in the ATP rankings.

The women's draw of Roland Garros had been won on Saturday by the Russian Mirra Andreeva, nineteen years old, who with the title rose to No. 6 in the WTA rankings on Monday. Poland's Maja Chwalinska, starting from qualifying as world No. 114, reached the final and with the tournament earned approximately 1.4 million euros, climbing to 21st place in the rankings. During qualifying, Iga Swiatek had helped her compatriot by offering to pay for a hotel room, a gesture that made the rounds of the circuit.

Zverev had gone through a 2024 marked by the final lost in Paris against Alcaraz and by an ankle injury suffered in the 2022 semifinals against Nadal, when he had left Court Philippe Chatrier in a wheelchair. Since then, the path to his first Slam has been punctuated by criticism and doubts, overcome with the strength of his family in tow and of his younger brother, who are part of his team along with his father. Sunday's victory erases the label of «Der Unvollendete» — the title of his docuseries — that had accompanied him for years, and rightfully enrolls him in the select club of Slam champions on their fourth attempt, which includes Andre Agassi, Goran Ivanisevic, and Dominic Thiem.

Tournament context and women's draw

For several months, Zverev had also faced the consequences of a public complaint related to alleged violent behavior, with two former partners who had accused him of physical abuse. The issue, which had emerged forcefully after the 2025 Australian Open final, remained in the background of his run in Paris, where the sporting focus prevailed. The player has always denied the accusations and no judicial developments have been disclosed in the period covered by this chronicle.