Roland Garros Champion Alexander Zverev Managed to Stay Focused After Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic’s Early Exits

Alexander Zverev has finally lifted his career’s first Grand Slam title. He battled past Flavio Cobolli in five sets, winning the French Open in his second appearance in the final.

A lot of unexpected things happened in this Roland Garros. Even before the start of the tournament, two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz announced that he wouldn’t be playing because of a wrist injury.

His withdrawal made Jannik Sinner the heavy favorite, but he suffered from severe full-body cramps during the second round and ended up losing the match in five sets to Juan Manuel Cerundolo. A day after Sinner’s exit, Novak Djokovic squandered a two-set lead and lost in five sets to Joao Fonseca in the third round.

Their exits now made Zverev the heavy favorite. The tennis world expected him to finally end his Major drought, and although he did not put pressure on himself after Djokovic and Sinner’s defeats, he suffered from nerves during the final, in spite of having the experience of playing on the biggest stages.

I feel I managed the past two weeks very well, because with all the early losses, with Jannik and Novak out, I stayed focused and calm, and I feel I was playing very well. But today I didn’t handle it as well; the match was more erratic, and I was more nervous, which is human.

Zverev suffered from cramps during the fourth set and also received treatment from Marcelo Melo. And because of this, he was given the time violation warning by the chair umpire.

That’s why I say the cramps helped me; my mind relaxed, I started hitting the ball more freely, more aggressively. All that, thanks to the cramps. I couldn’t keep tense; I had to loosen up. That’s why I played the fifth set as I did.

Alexander Zverev added

Zverev, who now holds a 4-1 lead in the head-to-head matchups with Cobolli, played three Major finals before this French Open, losing the 2020 US Open to Dominic Thiem, the 2024 Roland Garros to Alcaraz, and the 2025 Australian Open to Sinner.

Alexander Zverev said he started playing his best tennis since the 2025 Vienna Open

At the press conference after his Roland Garros win, Alexander Zverev said he was struggling to play his best tennis last year until the Vienna Open. He met Jannik Sinner in the final and took the first set off him but couldn’t capitalize on his lead and lost the match.

I started playing very well again, I believe, in Vienna last year. Before that, last year wasn’t good for me; I didn’t play well. I had many physical problems and issues with my tennis; I just wasn’t playing well. This trophy, indeed, boosts confidence a lot. As you said, I was far from that point. I think last year was one of the toughest moments of my career in tennis. This year is one of the happiest moments of my career, and the feeling is very different now.

Zverev lifted his first title of the season at the French Open. Before this, he also played the final in Madrid but suffered defeat to Sinner for the ninth consecutive time.

The 29-year-old is the first German man since Henner Henkel in 1937 to win the title in the French capital. He is also just the third German man in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam title since Boris Becker (1996 Australian Open) and Michael Stich (1991 Wimbledon).

Flavio Cobolli, on the other hand, was aiming to become the fourth Italian man to win a Major, after Adriano Panatta, Nicola Pietrangeli and Sinner. He has reached his career-high ranking of No.10.

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