Nick Kyrgios Delighted For Alexander Zverev’s Roland Garros Victory After Prior Struggles

Alexander Zverev overcame adversity to win his maiden Grand Slam at the French Open. The World No.3 had failed to win the elusive major title in three consecutive finals and was criticized for his failure to win the championship. However, following his triumph at Roland Garros, Nick Kyrgios has showered praise on Zverev.

Zverev was criticized on several occasions for failing to win a Grand Slam and was tagged for it. He had basically won everything else in the sport, but was regarded as one of the most talented players of his generation, and the last decade, not to add a Grand Slam to the list of his achievements.

He reached his first Grand Slam final at the 2020 US Open but lost the title to Dominic Thiem. Zverev got to his second Slam championship match after a four-year wait, but couldn’t defeat Carlos Alcaraz. At the 2025 Australian Open, he finished as runner-up after losing to Jannik Sinner in the final.

However, at this year’s French Open, everything turned in Zverev’s favor. First, Alcaraz couldn’t compete at the tournament due to a wrist injury, and Sinner exited Roland Garros in the second round after losing to Juan Manuel Cerundolo. That gave Zverev a bit of luck as he never faced a player ranked higher than him throughout the competition.

He defeated Flavio Cobolli in five sets to win the French Open, becoming the first German star to win the men’s singles of a Grand Slam in over 20 years. Zverev is currently at the Halle Open, where he’s set to take to the court. Kyrgios was there too and he told TennisTV that he was the least jealous player to see Zverev win the French Open:

Yeah look, I’m the least jealous person ever. So when I see any of my peers winning… everyone can eat, there’s plenty of room for everyone to have success in this world. And I’ve realised that I’ve had more success than most athletes in any sport and in any space. So I’m confident enough to know when it was my time and humble enough to realise that it can be someone else’s.

Kyrgios played at the Stuttgart Open last week, where he earned his first win of the season. However, he exited the tournament in the second round. He was supposed to open his campaign at the Halle Open on Tuesday (June 17), but the Australian star pulled out of the tournament due to a knee injury.

Brazilian star praises Alexander Zverev for winning his first Grand Slam in Paris

Alexander Zverev will play in the doubles category at the Terra Wortmann Open in Halle, Germany. The German star aims to quickly transition from clay to grass following his French Open triumph. He will partner with his friend and Brazilian star Marcelo Melo at the tournament with an eye on the singles event.

Melo has been one of the few players to build a good relationship with Zverev over the years. Both players have partnered in doubles competitions and won the Acapulco Open doubles earlier this year. Melo revealed to the aforementioned media that he has always been one of the players hoping Zverev wins a Grand Slam:

As I said, it was going to be sooner or later. You can see that in that video. I was very happy to be part of it and very happy to be there in the moment. Sascha knew that I always believed in him, always pushed him to be the best. As I said, ‘sooner or later’, and I’m very glad it was sooner! You did it’, were the first words I said to him.

Zverev will face Vit Kopriva in the first round of the singles at the Terra Wortmann Open. Meanwhile, Zverev and Melo have already booked their place in the quarter-finals of the doubles after beating Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik and Belgium’s Zizou Bergs in their opening match.

Also Read: Iga Swiatek Proud of Maja Chwalinska’s Career Breakthrough at Roland Garros