Four years ago, Alexander Zverev suffered a terrible injury on Court Philippe-Chatrier at Roland-Garros. He lay on the clay with seven torn ligaments and two fractured bones in his ankle. On Sunday, the 29-year-old German returned to the same court and lifted the trophy.
Zverev beat Italy's Flavio Cobolli 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-1 in a five-set final that lasted 4 hours and 16 minutes. This was his first Grand Slam singles title after reaching three finals and losing all of them. He had lost to Dominic Thiem at the 2020 US Open, to Carlos Alcaraz at the 2024 French Open, and to Jannik Sinner at the 2025 Australian Open.
Zverev is the first German man to win a Grand Slam singles title since Boris Becker won the 1996 Australian Open, a gap of three decades. The men's draw was unusually open this year. The world number one Jannik Sinner was knocked out in the second round. Alcaraz, the two-time champion, withdrew with a wrist injury.
Cobolli, 24 years old and playing in his first Grand Slam final, fought hard but could not win. After the match, Cobolli spoke warmly to Zverev, saying he deserved the title. Zverev spoke about his long journey through injuries and losses before finally achieving his dream.