Alexander Zverev finally broke through for his first Grand Slam title, grinding past a stubborn Flavio Cobolli in a five-set French Open final on Sunday at Roland Garros.
After losing three previous major finals, including one in Paris two years ago, Zverev held firm in a tight contest to win 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-1. The victory makes him the first German man to win a Slam since Boris Becker at the 1996 Australian Open.
With Carlos Alcaraz absent due to injury and both Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic exiting early, the second seed seized control of a wide-open draw and delivered under pressure to claim the Coupe des Mousquetaires.
"This trophy helps the belief a lot. This year is one of the happiest moments in my career,” Zverev said, joking that he would not care if he was called the worst player to win a major.
"To be honest, I’m a little bit drunk already. I’m just happy to be sitting next to this trophy.
"Now, no matter what happens, I’ll always be a Grand Slam champion, and nobody can take that away from me. Maybe that does give me some freedom. Maybe my mind will be calmer when I play a final. Even if I lose, I’ll still be a Grand Slam champion.
"This trophy is very important for me, because if I had lost this one, the self-belief would have gone down a lot. Now that I’ve won it, I feel I can do it again.”
Football-like atmosphere
With the sun shining down on Court Philippe Chatrier, Zverev broke Cobolli with a backhand that pinged off the Italian’s orange-framed racket, and he tightened his grip further to wrap up the opening set with a forehand winner down the middle.
Cobolli fired himself up and produced stunning shot-making to break in the seventh game of the next set and then drew level with a confident hold as the center court crowd whipped up a soccer-like atmosphere for the former AS Roma academy player.
Those voices soon fell silent deep in the third set as 10th seed Cobolli struck a forehand into the net to gift Zverev a set point, and the German promptly regained the advantage thanks to another unforced error.
A spell of passive play from Zverev meant he was broken twice in the fourth set, but he dialed up the intensity to go level at 5-5, only to crack under pressure in the tiebreak as Cobolli fired a forehand rocket to force a decider.
Defeats in his three previous Grand Slam finals, at the U.S. Open in 2020, the French Open in 2024, and the Australian Open in 2025, had raised questions about whether Zverev would ever cross the finish line, but the 29-year-old proved his doubters wrong.
With the closing stages of the contest lacking the quality of last year’s epic between Alcaraz and Sinner, Zverev edged in front and used all his experience to pull away in the final games and finally earn his long-awaited crown.
Zverev dropped to the floor and sobbed before dusting himself off to greet his close friend Cobolli, then soaked up the applause at a venue where he has experienced joy, sorrow, and pain in equal measure.
He left the 2022 tournament in a wheelchair after seriously injuring his ankle in the semifinals against Rafael Nadal.
"This court is so special to me in so many ways,” he added.
"Some of the best moments of my life have happened on this court, and some of the worst, too. I sat here with seven broken bones four years ago, and I lost a final here.”
Turbulent time
Zverev’s 25th and biggest tour-level triumph comes after a turbulent time away from the court, with the German having faced domestic violence allegations that have cast a shadow over parts of his career.
In June 2024, his lawyers said he had agreed to a settlement after the mother of his child, Brenda Patea, accused him of physical abuse. A German court closed the case with the player not found guilty of any wrongdoing.
In January 2023, the ATP, men’s tennis governing body, cited insufficient evidence and closed an investigation that had been launched after another former girlfriend, tennis player Olga Sharypova, accused Zverev of domestic abuse.
Zverev has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
The 24-year-old Cobolli was left to rue a missed chance to return the Roland Garros men’s title to Italy for the first time in 50 years since Adriano Panatta beat American Harold Solomon in the 1976 final.
"It’s not easy for me to talk right now, but I want to start with you, Ale,” Cobolli said.
"If someone asked me who deserved this title more, I would always say you. It’s been an honor, through our relationship, to share the court today.
"I’m happy for you, but I’m also sad because I was close, and I feel it now. You achieved your dream.
"Let me win the next time.”
Earlier, Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend powered to their first French Open triumph and third major title together, beating Anna Danilina and Aleksandra Krunic 6-2, 7-5 in the women’s doubles final.