Alexander Zverev defeats Flavio Cobolli in five sets at Roland Garros to win first major title
Alexander Zverev has finally won his first Grand Slam title, a career-defining victory that came not with the clean brilliance of a dominant champion but through the grit, survival and emotional turmoil that have come to define his decade on the ATP Tour. The German second seed outlasted Italy’s Flavio Cobolli 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-1 in a five-set French Open final that swung on nerve, stamina and the stark gap between a player chasing history and a newcomer chasing belief.
The win, Zverev’s 25th ATP Tour singles title, added the only missing piece to a résumé that already included Olympic gold, two ATP Finals titles and multiple Masters 1000 crowns. For Cobolli, the 24-year-old tenth seed playing in his first Grand Slam final, it was a breakthrough appearance that confirmed his rise: he entered the match on a career-high ranking of World No. 10, having already reached his first major quarter-final at Wimbledon last year and led Italy to the Davis Cup crown in 2025.
Zverev’s path to the title had been cleared by the early exits of Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic and the withdrawal of reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz due to injury. It was the opportunity the 29-year-old had waited for since blowing a two-set lead against Dominic Thiem in the 2020 US Open final, then falling to Alcaraz in five sets in Paris two years ago and losing in straight sets to Sinner at the Australian Open last year. The spectre of those defeats lingered from the first ball on Court Philippe Chatrier.
He began with the authority of a man determined not to waste another chance, sweeping through the first set and breaking the Cobolli serve three times. But the Italian settled into the contest in the second set, geed himself up, and finally pressured the Zverev serve at 3-3, earning the break when the German fired a forehand wide. Zverev reacted by ranting at his support box, drawing a round of booing from the crowd. Cobolli, with his puppyish energy and varied game, became the crowd favourite.
The third set turned on two missed forehands from Cobolli at 4-5, handing Zverev a crucial break. But the German could not close the match cleanly. In the fourth set he trailed by a break twice and fought back twice, including a fine game to break Cobolli when he served for the set at 5-4. Zverev, who is a Type 1 diabetic, looked to be struggling physically during that phase, stretching out his legs and consulting a trainer after receiving a package from his team. Up 3-1 in the tie-break, victory was tantalisingly close, but Cobolli recovered brilliantly from missing an overhead on his first set point, powering a forehand down the line to force a decider.
That effort appeared to drain the Italian. The final set got away from him quickly as Zverev secured an early double break. The match ended when Cobolli’s overhead smash landed well long, and the German collapsed onto the clay before the two good friends shared a long hug.
A title shadowed by allegations
The winner will not be universally welcomed. Zverev remains one of the most polarising figures in tennis after facing accusations of domestic violence from two former partners. He has strenuously denied all allegations, but the shadow of those cases has followed him to every major stage.
The most extensively documented case involves Brenda Patea, the mother of Zverev’s daughter, Mayla. She accused him of assault during an argument in Berlin in May 2020. Berlin prosecutors alleged Zverev pushed her against a wall and choked her. The case produced a penalty order in Germany, which he contested. The matter was settled out of court in June 2024, with Zverev agreeing to pay a total of €200,000 — €150,000 to the state and €50,000 to charities — without admitting guilt. His legal team said the settlement was designed to end proceedings in the interest of the child.
The other set of accusations came from Olya Sharypova, who made allegations of domestic violence that the ATP investigated. The governing body said it found insufficient evidence to take disciplinary action.
The off-court controversy has made Zverev a target at tournaments. He was heckled during the trophy ceremony at the 2025 Australian Open, and the combination of his prominence and the unresolved nature of the allegations has led to criticism that tennis appears unwelcoming to those concerned about domestic violence.
For Zverev, the victory also carries a weight of history. He becomes the first German man to claim a Grand Slam singles title since Boris Becker’s triumph at the 1996 Australian Open, and the first German to win at Roland Garros since Henner Henkel, a champion whose life was later cut short at the Battle of Stalingrad.
