After years of crushing near-misses and heartbreaking defeats on tennis’ biggest stages, 29-year-old Alexander Zverev has written the final chapter of his long-running Grand Slam drought, claiming his first ever major title at the 2025 French Open following a tense four-hour-and-16-minute five-set final against Italy’s Flavio Cobolli on Sunday.
The world No. 3 and tournament second seed sealed a 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-1 victory to become the first German man to lift a Grand Slam trophy since Boris Becker claimed the 1996 Australian Open, a milestone that capped a remarkable personal journey for Zverev on the clay of Court Philippe Chatrier. For the German, Roland Garros has been a ground of both triumph and agony: he suffered a career-threatening season-ending ankle injury here during a 2022 semi-final clash against Rafael Nadal, and fell in another brutal five-set defeat to defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in last year’s final. This year, the Paris clay finally gave him the happy ending he chased for nearly a decade.
“This court is so special to me in so many ways… but now finally, it’s a happy end,” Zverev shared during his trophy acceptance speech. Addressing his support team, he added, “We’ve been through losses, we’ve been losers at times as well in the most important moments. But at the end of the day, we’re Grand Slam champions now, and that’s what counts.”
Zverev entered this final as the experienced campaigner, marking his fourth appearance in a Grand Slam title match after 10 previous defeats in Slam quarter-finals and semi-finals, plus three prior final losses. His most devastating near-miss came at the 2020 US Open, where he held a two-set lead and a championship point against Dominic Thiem, only to collapse in a reverse that haunted him for six years. In a poignant full-circle moment, the now-retired Thiem watched from the stands as Zverev finally put that memory to rest.
For his 24-year-old opponent Cobolli, the tournament already marked a career breakthrough. Ranked 10th in the tournament, the Italian was bidding to become the first Italian man to claim the French Open title since Adriano Panatta 50 years prior, and had never even advanced to a Grand Slam semi-final before this week. His path to the final opened up after semi-final opponent Matteo Arnaldi withdrew due to illness, and despite falling short of the title, his run guarantees he will break into the world’s top 10 for the first time next week.
“It’s not easy for me to talk right now,” Cobolli said after receiving his runner-up trophy from Panatta. “I’m happy for you, but I’m also sad because I was close and I feel it. So now you’ve achieved your dream, let me win the next time.”
The match played out exactly as the contrast in experience suggested, with Cobolli succumbing to early nerves in the opening set. The Italian piled up 16 unforced errors in just 39 minutes, dropping the first set 6-1 as he struggled to cope with the pressure of his first ever major final. He found his rhythm in the second set, though, reeling off three consecutive holds of serve before stealing a break from Zverev in the seventh game. Zverev, who had been untroubled on serve up to that point, dropped the set with a series of scrappy mistakes including two double faults, evening the match at one set apiece and sending the crowd into a frenzy.
The high-stakes third set saw Cobolli give up a 30-0 lead in the 10th game, dropping four straight points to cede the set to Zverev. Refusing to fold, Cobolli broke Zverev immediately in the opening game of the fourth set, and though he couldn’t close out the set when serving for it at 5-4, he rallied to win a tight tie-break 7-5 to force a deciding fifth set.
After a short delay when Cobolli left the court before the final set, Zverev struck early, breaking the Italian’s serve in the very first game. When Cobolli missed a break-back chance and dropped his serve again to fall 3-0 behind, the match was all but decided. Zverev fended off three late break chances in the fourth game before closing out the win, falling to the clay in celebration after Cobolli shanked an overhead on Zverev’s second championship point.
The path to the title was made easier by the absence of several top contenders: defending champion Alcaraz withdrew due to injury, while Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner both made shock early exits from the tournament. Though Zverev notched 54 unforced errors across the match, his experience and mental fortitude shone through when it mattered most, finally shedding the unwanted label of one of the best male players to never win a Grand Slam.