Paris, June 7 - Alexander Zverev secured his first Grand Slam title at the French Open on Sunday, defeating Italian Flavio Cobolli 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-1. The German second seed entered the final as the overwhelming favorite after top-ranked Jannik Sinner and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic exited early.
Zverev admitted the pressure weighed on him, but cramps in the fourth set proved to be a turning point. “The cramps helped me because in the end it helped my mind let go,” he said. “That’s why I played the fifth set the way I did.”
This victory marks the culmination of a long and arduous journey for the 29-year-old, who suffered a severe ankle injury at Roland Garros four years ago and lost the final to Carlos Alcaraz in 2023. An emotional Zverev told his team: “We’ve been through so much through injuries, through heartbreak, through losses. We’ve been losers at some moments, but we’re Grand Slam champions now.”
Cobolli, whose breakthrough run ended just short of his first major title, praised Zverev and thanked his supporters. Adriano Panatta, the last Italian man to win Roland Garros in 1976, presented the Musketeers Cup to Zverev.