Former World No.1 Believes French Open title will Open the Floodgates of Grand Slams for Alexander Zverev

Alexander Zverev has finally got his hands on the elusive Grand Slam title. After years of searching and heartbreak, the German star delivered at the Court Philippe-Chatrier, beating Flavio Cobolli in the French Open final. Former World No.1 Mats Wilander believes that this triumph will open the door for many Slams for the 29-year-old.

Earlier this year, Zverev was regarded as one of the most talented players to never win a Grand Slam by fans. There was a definite feeling that he may never cross the threshold of a major title victory after trying in three finals to beat his opponent. He was seen as a player who couldn’t compete with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

But for the first time in years, something surprising happened at the Roland Garros. Alcaraz withdrew from the tournament due to a wrist injury he sustained at Barcelona, Sinner lost to Juan Manuel Cerundolo in the second round of the event after winning 30 consecutive matches, and then Novak Djokovic lost to Joao Fonseca in the third round.

Zverev, who was not the favorite to win the French Open, suddenly became the main man at the event and the only thing he had to do was just win his matches. He faced an in-form Flavio Cobolli in the final and despite some lapses in his game, found a way in the end to beat the Italian star 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6(5)-7, 6-1.

Zverev claimed the ultimate silverware becoming the first player other than Sinner, Alcaraz and Djokovic to win a Grand Slam since 2022. After three Slam final heartbreaks, the 29-year-old left the Court Philippe-Chatrier the happiest man on tour. Speaking during a conversation on TNT Sports, Wilander explained that winning a maiden Slam always pushes players to go for more and see that same thing happening to Zverev:

It makes it seem possible that you can win another one, that’s the first thought – ‘wow, I can do it, it wasn’t that hard’. During the match it’s hard, but when you win it you feel so confident and you think ‘I did it’. That is actually what I felt, and then I lost the next one in the final, and then things changed completely. It will be interesting to see how Zverev takes this win. Is it such a relief that it will be hard for him to focus in the future, or will the floodgates open?

Zverev has nothing to prove to anybody but himself. After years of being underestimated and criticized, he can finally lift his head high during conversations about Grand Slam champions. Also, he’s one of the few players who have won a major title currently in the men’s circuit, which gives him more confidence and less pressure.

Alex Corretja says Alexander Zverev is now a totally different player on tour

Four years ago, Alexander Zverev was taken off Court Philippe-Chatrier in a wheelchair after suffering a nasty fall that left him screaming during his semi-final clash against Rafael Nadal. He tore his ligaments in his right ankle, which forced him to miss several months of the season after undergoing surgery.

Bouncing back from such an injury is mind-blowing and winning a Grand Slam after that horrible incident, is completely out of this world. Several players including Dominic Thiem and Juan Martin Del Potro never recovered after their major surgeries, but Zverev did. During the aforementioned conversation, Alex Corretja said that things will now be different for Zverev:

This is so difficult to win and it’s normal to have nerves. I think he dealt very well with the situations and in the end he hung in there and now he has the big trophy. It’s an amazing achievement for him. He truly deserves it. We feel like has been playing enough good tennis to win a major and from now on it’s going to be totally different for him.

Zverev has already withdrawn from the Stuttgart Open, which means he might play at the Terra Wortmann Open next week. However, if he doesn’t play the tournament, he will enter the Wimbledon Championship without a grass-court warm-up event. He exited in the first round of Wimbledon last year.

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