Flavio Cobolli Follows in Mirra Andreeva’s Footsteps by Thanking Himself After French Open Upset

Flavio Cobolli gave his all when he locked horns with Alexander Zverev in the final of the French Open held on Sunday (June 7). After a lopsided first set, the Italian ace clawed his way back into the game in the second set.

And although, through the fourth-set tie-breaker, he pushed the match to the decider, all he could win in that fifth set was just a single game. It was Cobolli’s first Grand Slam final, and he is proud of his efforts. At the press conference after his defeat, Cobolli followed in Mirra Andreeva‘s footsteps by thanking himself for the way he performed in the last two weeks.

First of all, I want to say congrats to Sascha for this title. I think he deserves it, and I also think today he deserves more than me at the end of the match. But I want to say also thanks to me for what I did in this two weeks. I never expect in my life that this kind of result, and I’m so proud of myself.

Andreeva did not have to battle for hours in her French Open final. With a win of 6-3, 6-2 against qualifier Maja Chwalinska, the 19-year-old became the third-youngest woman this century to win a Major. And during her winner’s speech, she continued the tradition of thanking herself.

So now I just want to have a great smile, enjoy the night with the with the friends, with the people that I love. It’s always a final of a Grand Slam.

Flavio Cobolli added

Zverev, with this win, finally ended his Grand Slam title drought in what was also the fourth Major final of his career. The win also helped the German improve his head-to-head record over Cobolli to 4-1.

Before this French Open, Zverev had also made the finals of the 2020 US Open (lost to Dominic Thiem), the 2024 French Open (lost to Carlos Alcaraz), and the 2025 Australian Open (lost to Jannik Sinner). The 29-year-old has now won every Big Title (Grand Slam, ATP Finals, Masters 1000s, and the Olympic gold medal).

Also, it was here in the French capital back in 2022 that Zverev suffered a severe ankle injury during his semifinal against eventual champion Rafael Nadal and left the court in a wheelchair. And this is why, during his winner’s speech, Zverev said he has experienced the best and the worst moments of his life on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

Flavio Cobolli on his goals after Roland Garros final

One of Flavio Cobolli‘s main goals for this season is to qualify for the ATP Finals in Turin. The 24-year-old, who has yet to win a Big Title, has never qualified for the year-end championships.

We have set a goal that I do not want to reveal now. In terms of rankings or results: to reach the ATP Finals in Turin. The goal is to get there by the end of the year. We are working hard to achieve it.

Flavio Cobolli said at the press conference

Cobolli played his third final of the season in the Paris Major. He defeated Frances Tiafoe in the Mexican Open final but later lost the Munich Open final to Ben Shelton.

Alexander Zverev, on the other hand, lifted his first title since winning the 2025 Munich Open. It was also his second final of the season following the Madrid Open, which he lost to Jannik Sinner.

The now one-time Grand Slam champion will next be hoping to win his first title on grass. Wimbledon is the only Major where he has never progressed to the quarterfinals. Cobolli made the quarterfinals of the grass-court Major last year.

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