Watch: Zverev breaks down in tears after first Grand Slam win at French Open

Alexander Zverev was overcome with emotion after finally ending his long wait for a Grand Slam title, breaking down in tears after beating Flavio Cobolli in Sunday’s French Open final.

The German beat the Italian 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-1 in a thrilling five-set battle on Court Philippe-Chatrier to claim the first Major title of his career and erase the disappointment of three previous Grand Slam final defeats.

When the final point was won, Zverev dropped to the clay, covered his face and cried, the weight of years of near misses and failures finally lifted from his shoulders.

The 2026 French Open was widely seen as Zverev’s best chance to win a Grand Slam. With two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz sidelined with a wrist injury and both Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic suffering early exits, the world number three entered the tournament as one of the heavy favourites.

Despite rising expectations, Zverev consistently downplayed his status throughout the fortnight, insisting his focus was only on the next match rather than the chance to lift the trophy.

Sunday’s final tested that calmness. The second seed got off to a flying start after opting to receive after the coin toss. He immediately broke Cobolli’s serve and cruised through the opening set, breaking three times as the Italian looked to settle in his first Grand Slam final.

However, Cobolli refused to let the match slip away. The 24-year-old responded strongly in the second set, taking advantage of Zverev’s drop in level to level at one set.

Highlights from the 2026 French Open Men’s Singles Final

The German took control of a tight third set, but the match took another turn when Cobolli raised the game again in the fourth. Meanwhile, Zverev appeared to be struggling with physical problems and showed signs of cramping as the match entered the deciding phase.

Cobolli seized the opportunity to win a thrilling fourth set tiebreak to force the final to a decisive fifth set and raise the prospect of another heartbreaking defeat for Zverev.

Instead, the Germans created a final wave. Drawing on his experience, Zverev dominated the decider, breaking early and taking full control of the rally. Cobolli struggled to maintain the intensity that carried him through the fourth set as Zverev continued to attack from the baseline and dictate the game.

When the Italian sent the final shot long, the 29-year-old collapsed on the clay before celebrating the biggest victory of his career.

Given Zverev’s history at Roland Garros, the triumph had extra meaning. Court Philippe-Chatrier was the scene of one of the most painful moments of his career in 2022 when he suffered a serious ankle injury during the semi-finals against Rafael Nadal. Chasing the ball in the second set, Zverev badly rolled his ankle and was forced to retire from the match before leaving the court in a wheelchair.

The injury required surgery to repair torn ligaments and sidelined him for months. Roland Garros also dealt another painful blow in 2024 when Zverev squandered a two-sets-to-one lead against Alcaraz in the final to watch the Spaniard claim the title.

Those disappointments appeared a distant memory on Sunday. After losing in the finals of the 2020 US Open, 2024 French Open and 2025 Australian Open, Zverev was repeatedly asked if he could take the final step to win a Grand Slam title.

He finally gave the answer in Paris. After years of setbacks, battling injuries and constant heartache on the sport’s biggest stages, Alexander Zverev is finally a Grand Slam champion.

– The end

Issued by:

Saurabh Kumar

Published on:

07 Jun 2026 23:39 IST