Zverev wins French Open: First Grand Slam title in Paris

The final began ideally for Zverev. He won the first set 6-1, breaking Cobolli's serve three times. «Die Zuschauer im ausverkauften Court Philippe Chatrier erlebten in der Folge ein ständiges Auf und Ab», according to the Deutschlandfunk report. Cobolli improved after his initial nerves and won the second set, breaking Zverev's serve at 3-4.

Zverev, ranked third in the world and seeded second, struck back in the third set and went ahead again 6-4. In the fourth set, the outcome was not decided until the tiebreak. After a total of four breaks, a tiebreak had to be played. Cobolli fended off a set point after inexplicably sending a smash long, and leveled with a forehand passing shot. The Italian took the tiebreak 7-5.

Zverev's path of suffering to a major title

In the deciding set, Zverev showed his dominance once again. He took the set 6-1 and the match with it. During the match, towards the end of the fourth set, Zverev had struggled with muscular problems and had his thigh massaged on the bench. «Ich wäre lieber der schlechteste Spieler, der schon ein Grand Slam gewinnen konnte», Zverev had said before the final.

For Zverev, it was the fourth Grand Slam final of his career. He had lost the first three: in 2020, he fell to Dominic Thiem in five sets, having already led by two sets. In 2024, he lost in Melbourne to Jannik Sinner. Last year, he also lost in Paris to Carlos Alcaraz, even though he had led 2-1 in sets. «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», said Zverev.

Cobolli as surprise finalist

Zverev is the fifth German Grand Slam champion in singles after Becker, Michael Stich, Steffi Graf, and Angelique Kerber. In the women's event, Angelique Kerber had most recently triumphed at Wimbledon in 2018. Boris Becker, who had won the 1996 Australian Open, commented as an expert for Eurosport: «Er hat das mehr als verdient.» Becker also praised Zverev's mental strength during the tournament. «Seit der Niederlage von Jannik Sinner redet jeder davon, dass Alexander Zverev nun der Favorit ist», said Becker.

The 24-year-old Cobolli had entered his first Grand Slam final as a surprise finalist. He is ranked 14th in the world and will enter the top ten for the first time the following Monday. Zverev described the Italian as a friend: «Er ist super talentiert, super jung, er verbessert sich immer wieder.» About Cobolli, Zverev also said: «Für mich ist er einfach ein netter Mensch. Er hat ein gutes Herz.»

Cobolli had reached the semifinal via walkover, as his compatriot Matteo Arnaldi had been forced to withdraw due to illness. «Keinen Unterschied. Ich fühle mich gut, ich habe auch keine brutal langen Matches gehabt», Zverev said before the final. Cobolli comes from the same Roman tennis club as Adriano Panatta, the last Italian winner of the French Open in the men's event, back in 1976.

Withdrawals and early losses of the competition

The tournament organizers had asked Panatta, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of his triumph, to present the Coupe des Mousquetaires to the winner. «Nicht zu glauben, wie Cobolli jetzt aufdreht», Becker commented on the final. Zverev thus joins an illustrious group of players who won their first major title on their fourth attempt: Andre Agassi, Goran Ivanisevic, and Dominic Thiem had also achieved this.

The path to the title was paved for Zverev also because the biggest competitors fell early or were absent. The top-seeded Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic were eliminated in the first rounds. Sinner, in great heat, had surrendered a 5-1 lead in the third set against Juan Manuel Cerundolo and was knocked out in the second round. Djokovic lost the following day. Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz had withdrawn before the tournament due to a wrist injury on his right arm.

Throughout the tournament, Zverev dropped only three sets. In the semifinal, he defeated Czech Jakub Mensik in four sets. «Das Einzige, worauf ich Einfluss habe, ist mein nächstes Match», said Zverev before the final. Prior to this, Zverev had played 41 Grand Slam tournaments in his career without triumphing. His 25th title overall is now the most significant.

Historical dimension of the victory

On Saturday, Russian Mirra Andreeva, 19 years old, had already won the women's competition. She defeated Poland's Maja Chwalinska in two sets. The total prize money for the men's competition at Roland Garros amounts to 61.723 million euros. The tournament is played on clay.

In the past, Zverev had already had to endure cruel blows of fate in Paris. In 2022, he had seriously injured his foot in the semifinal against Rafael Nadal and had been wheeled off the court in a wheelchair. That he now won the title at the very same place made the success particularly special for him. During the trophy presentation, Zverev wore a fresh shirt, as the original one had a large salt ring from sweat. The inscription on the stands of Court Philippe Chatrier reads «victory belongs to the most tenacious».

Becker, a three-time Wimbledon winner, emphasized the historical dimension of the victory as an Eurosport analyst. Since 1968, the beginning of the professional era, no German male player had won a Grand Slam title in singles. Zverev ended this 30-year wait. The headline of the documentary «Der Unvollendete», which had been made about Zverev, has thus lost its validity.

Outlook on upcoming tournaments

Zverev celebrated the triumph surrounded by his family. His father, his mother, his brother, and friends were present in Paris. His partner, television presenter Sophia Thomalla, was not on site for professional reasons. Due to Zverev's superstition, she was only supposed to travel to the possible title party anyway. Zverev, Cobolli, and Mensik have confirmed their participation in the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, which takes place from October 24 to November 1.

With the title in Paris, Zverev is also the first Grand Slam champion since the 2023 US Open who is not named Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz. In the past nine majors, Sinner and Alcaraz had divided the titles between them. On this sunny Sunday afternoon in Paris, the reign of the two young exceptional players came to an end. Zverev no longer has to call himself «der beste Spieler, der nie einen Grand Slam gewonnen hat», as he himself had put it.