Alexander Zverev finally got his first Grand Slam title at the French Open, beating Flavio Cobolli in five sets in Paris. After years of near misses in major finals, the German insisted the win changes how he approaches every future final.
Alexander Zverev has spent years chasing a Grand Slam title, and on a Paris Sunday he finally climbed the summit. After a five-set fight against Italy’s Flavio Cobolli. Zverev captured the French Open. celebrating at Roland Garros with the kind of relief that doesn’t disappear when the confetti does.
He wasn’t interested in debating who did or didn’t play. Zverev has insisted the title is his, and no one can take it away. “If I would’ve lost this one, the self belief would’ve gone down a lot. But now that I’ve won it, I feel like I can do it again,” he said. “Now no matter what happens, I will always be a Grand Slam… pic.twitter.com/8cNz3l7hdK”.
It was also a first for Germany in men’s singles since Boris Becker won the Australian Open in 1996. The moment carried extra weight because the conversation around the French Open had been shaped by absences and early exits: Carlos Alcaraz did not play due to injury. Jannik Sinner lost in the second round. and Novak Djokovic was eliminated in the third round. Zverev’s response was firm anyway—this wasn’t a discussion, it was a coronation.
In the final. Zverev set the tone early and then had to fight through the kind of momentum swings that make Grand Slam matches feel endless. He won the opening set 6-1, dropped the second 4-6, took the third 6-4, and then watched Cobolli rally again. The fourth set went to a tiebreak. where Cobolli earned a decisive 7-5 win to level the match at two sets apiece.
Cobolli. supported by a French Open crowd that backed him through much of the match. looked capable of carrying that momentum. Zverev had been pushed to the edge before—this wasn’t just another final. it was another test of what happens when close-call memories come knocking. In past major appearances, he had suffered heartbreaking near misses: the U.S. Open in 2020, the French Open in 2024, and the Australian Open in 2025.
But the final set belonged to Zverev. After Cobolli tied things at 2-2 with that fourth-set tiebreak victory, Zverev responded with the finishing kick he’d been missing in earlier years, turning in a dominant fifth set to close the match.
When it was over. the message was clear in the way he spoke about what the trophy means for his mind. “Now no matter what happens, I will always be a Grand Slam Champion. Nobody can take that away from me. Maybe that does give me some freedom. Maybe my mind will just be a little bit calmer when I play a final. Meaning that even if I lose it, I’ll still be a grand slam champion.”.
The final scoreline told the story of the struggle as much as the triumph: 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7 (7-5), 6-1. In the end. Cobolli put up the fight of a lifetime. earned respect even in defeat. and still couldn’t deny the one thing Zverev had been chasing for years—an unmistakable. hard-won French Open title in front of the bright. unforgiving lights of Paris.
Alexander Zverev Flavio Cobolli French Open Roland Garros tennis Grand Slam Boris Becker Carlos Alcaraz Jannik Sinner Novak Djokovic
Good for him I guess. Still shocked Djokovic got knocked out though.
They said Alcaraz wasn’t even playing, so like… was it really that big? Seems kinda obvious Zverev was gonna win if the big names were missing. Idk.
No one can take it away?? Didn’t Djokovic win French Open before, or am I mixing years. Also 5 sets sounds exhausting, like why is tennis like this.
That quote about “self belief would’ve gone down” is kinda wild cause it makes it sound like he was losing mental games. But then he wins and it’s “coronation” lol. Also Germany hasn’t had one since Becker right? Somehow that makes me feel old.