Alexander Zverev’s career-defining first Grand Slam men’s singles title at the 2025 French Open has failed to capture the prominent front-page coverage that usually greets a major tennis champion in France, with the country’s leading sports daily opting to downplay the German’s historic victory to highlight long-standing domestic violence allegations against him.
Zverev secured his breakthrough major crown on Sunday in Paris after a grueling five-set battle against Italian rising star Flavio Cobolli, becoming just the third German man to claim a Grand Slam singles trophy in the professional era (post-1968) and the first since Boris Becker won the 1996 Australian Open. But the milestone win did not resonate across French media the way most major championship victories do. Most strikingly, leading French sports newspaper L’Équipe relegated Zverev’s achievement to a tiny, off-center mention on its Monday front page, choosing instead to lead with Metz Handball’s historic win as the first French club to claim the Women’s Champions League title. Only a small photo of Zverev in the top-left corner of the front page, paired with the brief headline “Zverev, major at last,” acknowledged the tennis champion’s win.
Beyond its limited match coverage, L’Équipe published a full op-ed titled “To live with” that centered entirely on the past domestic abuse accusations against Zverev. The allegations date back two years, when Zverev’s former partner Brenda Patea brought an assault claim against him that led to a criminal trial in a Berlin district court. The case concluded with an out-of-court settlement between all parties, with the court dismissing proceedings after Zverev agreed to pay 150,000 euros ($162,000) in fines to the German state and an additional 50,000 euros ($54,000) to domestic violence-focused charities. Under German law, the financial settlement does not count as a formal admission of guilt, and Zverev retains presumption of innocence with no criminal record from the case.
In the op-ed, L’Équipe acknowledged this legal context but noted that the unresolved public perception of the accusations complicates how Zverev’s victory is received. “The context complicates the reception of his success,” the paper wrote. “He remains presumed innocent in a case that the courts will no longer adjudicate. Everyone will have to live with that. Her, him, you, us.”
When contacted by the Associated Press, L’Équipe officials framed the editorial decision as partially driven by a crowded weekend of elite sports action: the event slate included the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix, key pre-Tour de France cycling developments, and the landmark handball title win by a French club. The paper’s handling of Zverev’s victory also mirrors its choice earlier in the tournament, when it did not feature women’s singles champion Mirra Andreeva’s win on the front page, opting instead to highlight a breakthrough by young French cycling star Paul Seixas. This stands in sharp contrast to past coverage of French Open champions: last year, L’Équipe dedicated its full front page to a photo of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner after their iconic five-set men’s final, and gave prominent front-page billing to women’s champion Coco Gauff the day before.
Reception of Zverev’s win has been split in his home country of Germany. Leading tabloid Bild featured Zverev posing with the Roland Garros trophy under the playful headline “Alexander The Great,” though the story shared front-page space with other news, including updates on the national men’s football World Cup campaign. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz offered an unreserved celebration of Zverev’s achievement in a social media post, writing that the champion’s “magnificent victory” had “inspired and thrilled an entire nation.”
This is not the first time Zverev has faced public scrutiny over abuse allegations: he has also previously denied an assault claim made by a different woman, which was investigated by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), the governing body for men’s professional tennis. The ATP closed the investigation in January 2023, concluding there was insufficient evidence to uphold the allegation.