Zverev claims maiden Grand Slam title at French Open
The No. 2 seed overcomes previous final defeats and a severe 2022 injury to secure the Coupe des Mousquetaires in Paris.
Alexander Zverev has secured his first Grand Slam title, defeating Italy’s Flavio Cobolli in five sets to win the 2026 French Open men’s singles championship. The victory, achieved on Sunday at Roland-Garros, ends a 30-year wait for a German player to claim a major singles title, with Boris Becker’s 1996 Australian Open win previously standing as the last national triumph in the discipline.
Zverev, the No. 2 seed, overcame a tense final against Cobolli, who had twice fought back from a set down during the tournament. The 29-year-old German held his nerve in the deciding fifth set to complete the victory, which marks a significant turnaround for a player who had previously lost three Grand Slam finals.
The triumph also ends a 30-year drought for German men in the sport. He is the first German man to win a Grand Slam singles title since Boris Becker’s victory at the 1996 Australian Open. The win comes after Zverev had previously lost three Grand Slam finals, leading to widespread speculation about his ability to secure the most prestigious trophy in tennis.
The final on Court Philippe Chatrier was marked by significant emotional weight for Zverev, who suffered a severe ankle injury in the 2022 semi-finals against Rafael Nadal. That injury required surgery and kept him out of competition for months. Nadal, who assisted Zverev after his 2022 injury, congratulated him on social media, noting the perseverance required to reach this point.
Zverev’s path to the final was aided by the early exits of top seeds. Jannik Sinner lost in the second round to Juan Manuel Cerundolo, Novak Djokovic lost in the third round to Joao Fonseca, and Rafael Alcaraz withdrew before the tournament due to a wrist injury. Cobolli, 24, became the first Italian man to reach the French Open final since Adriano Panatta in 1976 and will climb into the world’s top 10 rankings for the first time.
Zverev dedicated his victory to his team, including his father and brother, acknowledging their shared journey through injury and heartbreak. He described the 2026 French Open as having "the best and worst moments of my life," referencing his 2022 injury and previous final losses. "At the end of the day, we are Grand Slam champions now and that is what counts," he said.
