Alexander Zverev ended a long search in the most important tennis tournaments this Sunday by winning a Grand Slam title for the first time. The German defeated the Italian Flavio Cobolli in the Roland Garros final by 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7(5) and 6-1, after four hours and 16 minutes of play on the Parisian clay.

The victory allowed the world number three to break a barrier that had resisted him on previous occasions. After lost finals at Roland Garros two years ago, at the 2020 US Open and in Australia last year, the tennis player from Hamburg finally managed to lift the most important trophy of his career.

At the end of the match, both finalists hugged each other on the net. The friendship they maintain off the slopes contrasted with the demanding sporting battle they waged for more than four hours. Zverev ended up lying on the clay while celebrating a conquest that he had been pursuing for years.

A final of resistance and mistakes

The duel was marked by the intensity and resilience of both players. Neither managed to impose their best version consistently, which led to numerous prolonged exchanges and a high number of unforced errors.

Cobolli accumulated 65 errors to Zverev's 54, figures that reflect the difficulties that both faced in maintaining consistency during decisive moments. Even so, the Italian managed to stay alive on several occasions, overcoming deficits and taking the match to a fifth set.

The difference ended up appearing in the final stretch. The German took advantage of his greater experience in this type of scenario to tilt the match in his favor. Cobolli, who had never before made it past the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam, resisted for much of the final, although he ended up giving in when the physical and mental wear and tear began to take its toll.

The edition of Roland Garros was conditioned by the absence of the Spanish Carlos Alcaraz, winner of the two previous editions and out of the tournament due to injury. World number one Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic, who was seeking to extend his record of Grand Slam titles, were also eliminated before the final.

The prize for perseverance

Zverev's consecration represents the 25th title of his professional career. His record already included seven Masters 1000 category trophies, although none had the symbolic weight of a Grand Slam.

Curiously, it is his first conquest of the season. The German had won 35 victories during the year, 20 of them on clay, but had still not managed to lift a trophy. Furthermore, his four losses on clay in 2026 had come against Italian rivals, a trend that he managed to reverse in the final against Cobolli, whom he had also previously defeated in the Madrid tournament.

For the Italian, there was the merit of reaching the final of Roland Garros and of trying to return the Parisian title to his country half a century after the consecration of Adriano Panatta, in charge of presenting the trophy to the champion.

After the match, Rafael Nadal publicly congratulated Zverev for his achievement in Paris. The former Spanish tennis player wrote: “Congratulations, Zverev for winning Roland Garros.”

"So deserved after all the hard work and perseverance. You've been chasing your first Grand Slam for a long time, and you absolutely deserve it!" Nadal added.

The winner of fourteen titles at Roland Garros also dedicated a few words to the Italian finalist. “And congratulations also to Flavio (Cobolli) for a fantastic tournament!” expressed the Spaniard on his social networks.