Alexander Zverev has conceded that his path to the Roland Garros title was made easier by the fact that he didn’t have to face Jannik Sinner as he described the Italian as “the best”.
Having finished runner-up in his three previous Grand Slam finals, it was a case of fourth time lucky for Zverev as he defeated Flavio Cobolli 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-1 in the showpiece match on Court Philippe-Chatrier on Sunday.
Zverev, though, didn’t beat a top-five player en route to the title with the 10th-seeded Cobolli the highest-ranked player he faced in Paris as world No 1 Jannik Sinner and fourth seed Ben Shelton lost in the second round, third seed Novak Djokovic was defeated a round later while fifth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime exited in the quarter-final.
With defending champion and world No 2 Carlos Alcaraz absent due to injury, many felt Sinner was the overwhelming favourite, but he was stunned by Juan Manuel Cerundolo, making life much easier for Zverev.
The German has lost nine matches in a row against the four-time Grand Slam winner, including this year’s Madrid Open final and the semi-final of the Monte Carlo Masters, with his last win at the 2023 US Open.
Zverev admitted he was “fortunate” not to face the Sinner in Paris as the Italian’s style of play is “relentless”.
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“Fortunately, I didn’t have to face Sinner at Roland Garros,” he is quoted as saying by Sky Sports Italia. “That doesn’t mean I don’t want to play him – quite the opposite. I hope to do so at Wimbledon.
“This year, I think I’ve felt comfortable on court against everyone except him. He’s the best. His style of play doesn’t give you a moment’s respite; he attacks you relentlessly and doesn’t let you get into the match.”
The record books will just state that Zverev won the 2026 title as it won’t mention his path and, as he himself admitted during his post-match press conference, “Now, no matter what happens, I will always be a Grand Slam champion, and nobody can take that away from me.”
One of Zverev’s Grand Slam final defeats was at Roland Garros in 2024 when he lost in five sets against Carlos Alcaraz while in 2022 he came close as he was forced to retire from his semi-final against Rafael Nadal after suffering a horrific leg injury.
Zverev was in peak form in that match and many believed he had his best shot of beating the great Nadal on clay, but it wasn’t to be.
And Nadal was one of the first to congratulate him after his 2026 triumph, writing on social media: “Congratulations @alexzverev123 on winning @rolandgarros! So well deserved after all the hard work and perseverance. You have been chasing your first Grand Slam for a long time, and you absolutely deserve it.”
That was one of the highlights for Zverev.
“[The congratulatory messages were] special, but for me it was even more special that Rafa was texting me throughout the French Open and was kind of really paying attention,” he told the official ATP Tour website.
“That is even more special to me… For me what stood out is also the Billie Jean King tweet, I loved that one. A lot of great athletes, great people congratulating me and that feels special.”
