Alexander Zverev has finally secured his maiden Grand Slam title with a dramatic five-set victory over Italy’s Flavio Cobolli in the French Open final.
According to Al Jazeera, the second seed became the first German man to win a major tournament since Boris Becker at the 1996 Australian Open with a 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-1 victory after four hours and 16 minutes on Sunday, June 7.
Zverev, who suffered a season-ending ankle injury in the 2022 semifinal against Rafael Nadal on Court Philippe-Chatrier, where he was also edged out in five sets by Carlos Alcaraz in the 2024 final said, “This court is so special to me in so many ways… but now finally, it’s a happy end. “
“I was laid in that corner four years ago with seven broken ligaments and two fractured bones [in a horrific injury suffered in the 2022 semi-finals]. I lost a Grand Slam final here two years ago. But now, finally, it is a happy ending,” he added.
It was Zverev’s fourth Grand Slam final and second at Roland-Garros after some heartbreaking near misses in his career.
The 29-year-old also thanked his team during the trophy presentation saying, “We’ve been through losses, we’ve been losers at times as well in the most important moments. But at the end of the day, we’re Grand Slam champions now, and that’s what counts.”
Zverev had previously also lost in six Slam quarterfinals and seven semifinals, alongside his three final defeats.
