Sadly, it’d be remiss of me to close without referring you to these paragraphs in Tumaini’s piece, so here they are:
Zverev remains a popular figure at most tournaments, and the Philippe Chatrier crowd cheerfully received his victory, but this result is uncomfortable for many tennis fans and spectators around the world. Zverev has been accused of domestic violence by two of his former partners, Olya Sharypova and Brenda Patea. He has repeatedly denied both.
The second accusation, involving Patea, the mother of their child, led to a domestic violence case in Berlin, which began during the French Open in 2024, where Zverev reached his second grand slam final. The two parties eventually settled the case out of court. During the trophy ceremony of his third grand slam final, against Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open last year, Zverev was heckled by an audience member, with the spectator disrupting his speech by shouting: “Australia believes Olya and Brenda”.
Otherwise, though, that’s it from me – after a long, long schlep, Alexander Zverev is a grand slam champion. Thanks all for your company over what’s been an incredible fortnight; I can’t wait to see you again soon for Wimbledon. But if anyone’s got any clue what we might do tomorrow, I’m all ears. Peace out.
Here’s Tumaini Carayol’s match report:
Zverev takes the mic and praises Cobolli for reaching the final and how well he played in it; “From the bottom of my heart, I hope that you will hold one of these trophies very soon.”
Next, he turns to Cobolli’s team, one of “the nicest on tour”, saying he’s sure they’ll get to here at some point, before thanking Amelie Mauresmo, the tournament organiser, marvelling at the two courts with roofs and all the other things that’ve changed since she took over.
Now to the various people who’ve made the tournament possible – ball kids and so on – then the crowd. I fear that, without an interviewer, we’re not going to get the emotion we might otherwise. “This sport is so special to me in so many ways,” he continues. “I’ve had the best moment of my life on this court, I’ve had the worst moment of my life on these courts. I was laying in that corner over there four years ago with seven broken ligaments and two fractured bones, I lost a grand slam final here two years ago, but now, finally, it’s a happy end. I really felt like the crowd was pushing me throughout the entire two weeks and without you guys I definitely would’ve not won the tournament, so thanks you very much.”
On to his team, probably the longest-lasting in the world. “I have my father, I can’t get rid of him. He’s been there for 29 years, I have my brother, also 29 years, can’t get rid of him either,” then it’s on to his fitness coach and best mate – “he keeps me happy, very difficult to do”, before thanking the physio he’s only had for two weeks – “don’t ask for a bonus now, it’s nothing to do with you.”
Finally, he thanks everybody, talking about how much he’s been through, “we’ve been losers” – but “at the end of the day we’re grand slam champions and that’s what counts.”
Zverev collects the trophy and gives it as helluva lift, flinging it skywards from the base. I shudder to think how many hours and tears he’s expended searching and striving for this moment; he’s got it, forever, no one will ever be able to take it away from him, and it’s time for the German anthem.
Cobolli limps up to take his silver salver and looking pretty pleased, though he’s hurting something fierce. “It’s not easy for me to talk right now,” he begins, congratulating Zverev as the man who most deserves this title. “It’s been an honour to share the court with you today,” he continues, “I’m happy for you but I’m also sad because I was close and I feel it”; ouch. “So now you’ve achieved your dream let me win it next time.”
He then moves on to thank all those involved with the tournament – “It’s one of the best weeks of my life” – and this is the best grand slam ever. It’s been a privilege and a great honour to have Panatta here, though it’s always pressure to play in front of him; he congratulates him on his career.
Next, it’s on to the “blue wall”, the Italian fans – “I cannot look at you because then I’m crying”, and they seranade him in response. “I just wanna ask you one thing,” he says. “I wanna see all the smile from you guys because it’s been fantastic to be here with you.”
“My mum is still alive so I’m happy,” he says, saying he started to play tennis when he was young and never expected this kind of result. But now he’s here, he just wants to make possible something special. This is only the start, he’s still young, and he just wants to enjoy every moment on court with his smile, and invites the crowd to “make some noise for Sascha.” What a lovely boy.
We’re almost ready for the presentation, to be made by Adriano Panatta – the last Italian man to win Roland Garros, in 1976. The last German, before Zverev, was Henner Henkel in 1937.
If only he who has suffered can no true joy, Zverev might just be the happiest man ever to live – he’s certainly the happiest alive now, and what a feeling that must be. We think the extremes of emotion we experience watching all this are intense, because they are, but the extent of what the players go through is unfathomable to anyone but them, and even then. When Zverev lost to Sinner in that Aussie Open final, it seemed like something inside him left, and had things not worked in his favour here, I doubt he’d have got to this point. But now they did and he has, where can he take it from here?
And hold tight Flavio Cobolli. It all got a bit much for him at the end, but he’s a fantastic player with lots of improving yet to do, and I can’t wait to see how he progresses.
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Alexander Zverev is a major champion and no one can ever take that away from him. He made the hardest possible work of it, but he’s there now, the first German man to win a major since Boris Becker took the Aussie Open in 1996. He races up to his box and celebrates with his people, who’ve absorbed every hit with him, his brother, his dad, his gran – his mum is walking the dog somewhere close by – and they’re going to have a night tonight.
Alexander Zverev (2) beats Flavio Cobolli (10) 6-1 4-6 6-4 (5)6-7 6-1
Cobolli butchers another overhead AND ZVEREV HAS DONE IT! He collapses on to the clay, tears instant, and all that agony, all that fear, all that shame … gone.
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*Cobolli 1-6 6-4 4-6 7-6(5) 1-5 Zverev A Cobolli backhand hits the tape … and clambers over the net, dying – one championship point saved…
*Cobolli 1-6 6-4 4-6 7-6(5) 1-5 Zverev Cobolli nets a drop, goes long with a backhand, double-faults; Zverev has three championship points! The moment he thought he’d never experience is almost his...
Cobolli 1-6 6-4 4-6 7-6(5) 1-5 Zverev* Cobolli goes wide with a forehand down the line, but when Zverev doesn’t do enough with his +1, he nails a backhand cross, the crowd singing his name. A service winner follows, then an overhead is good enough, just, and at 40-15, he’s five points from victory … make that four, Cobolli netting a backhand, and it’ll take the mother and father of all bottles for Zverev not to see this out.
*Cobolli 1-6 6-4 4-6 7-6(5) 1-4 Zverev Cobolli rushes through a love hold and is on the board in the decider, but then calls out the physio to go at his right quad – last time it was the calf – and can he find a break?
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Cobolli 1-6 6-4 4-6 7-6(5) 0-4 Zverev* If one of the greatest servers in the history of the game can’t get it done from here, we’ll be talking about perhaps the greatest choke of all time. And he does find himself down 0-15 then, at 15-all, he carelessly nets a mid-court backhand, under little pressure – well, under little pressure from hid opponent but subsiding under that he’s applying to himself. Gosh, and he then does the same again, meaning he now faces two break points, saving the first then charging about the back to stick in the second, eventually having to admit defeat when offering up a simple overhead … which Cobolli dumps! He’s running out of gas, I fear, but with Zverev up advantage, a double follows, the second delivery weak; if he misses first go, he doesn’t trust himself to land anything decent … but two fine points then take him to 4-0, and the Roman is running out of road.
*Cobolli 1-6 6-4 4-6 7-6(5) 0-3 Zverev “FUCK!” screams Cobolli as he wallops a backhand long, getting lucky next point when he makes a mess of two chances to pass, both men at the net; Zverev volleys into it. But Cobolli isn’t enjoying this now, another error making 15-30, and when a backhand flies wide, the German has two points for a double break, and surely, even by the standard, two points for his first grand slam; my fingers have gone so cold I can barely type. Cobolli, though, saves the first in superb style, a tremendous angled volley from below the level of the net far too good … but then he’s caught at it, Zverev passing him, and he’s three games away from making every unit of pain he’s ever experienced completely irrelevant.
Cobolli 1-6 6-4 4-6 7-6(5) 0-2 Zverev* A double does nothing to improve Zverev’s state of mind and, as we said at the start, there really is nothing like this, nothing whatsoever – all around the world, people are compelled by what we’re seeing, and for the time we have left, nothing else matters, not our problems, not or relationships, not our fears. We’re all in it together, and when Zverev opens the game with two doubles, bile rises in us all. But it’s soon 30-all … then an over-cooked forehand hands over break-back point, the germans yes but a rumour, so far are they now set inside his head. So he goes for a big serve, tongue furry and eyes blurred; Cobolli gets it back, but he guides a backhand down the line, restoring deuce, as we cut to Mirra Andreeva loving life, the contrast disconcerting. Back on court, Zverev plays a dreadful, floaty half-volley … but Cobolli can only net in response … so he yet again explodes into a forehand, leaping to punish a ball down the line, restoring deuce in the process. These men are exposing their interiority to us all, but from there, the German closes out his consolidation, ands he leads 2-0 in the fifth.
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*Cobolli 1-6 6-4 4-6 7-6(5) 0-1 Zverev We knew we’d have to go some for this year’s final to get close to last, and though the standard isn’t the same, the emotion is something else – Cobolli leaves the court, and for a second, I swear I see Zverev hold back tears. One significant thing separating elite sportsfolk from the rest of us is talent, sure, but one separating them from other sportsfolk with elite talent is the ability to deliver motor skills under pressure that would leave most people a cringing, convulsing mess. Here, though, we’ve watched both men choke, but Zverev isn’t just playing for the trophy, he’s playing for his career and for the peace of mind – if he loses here, he’ll surely never recover, his internal monologue the script for a Lars von Trier film. But a slice down the line makes him 15-40, Cobolli saving the first break point with an ace down the T … and the second when Zverev nets a backhand. The underdog, though, then goes long to cede advantage … and wide to donate the break! Zverev leads 1-0 in the fifth, with a break, feeding himself a gary at change of ends, and he’s five holds away from becoming a grand slam champion. If I’m Cobolli, I’m reminding him of that forthwith.
Flavio Cobolli wins the fourth set 7-6(5) to force a fifth set against Alexander Zverev!
MDLKNOJKSDNNLLE! From the deepest, darkest recesses of his soul, Cobolli dredges up a flat forehand winner down the line, hit with such venom it’s borderline illegal, and I’ve not the slightest clue how he managed that seconds after he’d missed a dolly. But he did so to a fifth we go, the drama now an encompassing sickness affecting us all.
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Cobolli 1-6 6-4 4-6 6-6 (6-5) Zverev Zverev holds for 5-4, so Cobolli now has two serves to force a decider – with memories of his misses the last time he was in front in the set still fresh. But somehow, he keeps his hand steady enough to caress a drop which raises set point at 6-4, fires a serve out wide then races in to leap to tap over a routine overhead to finish the breaker … AND SOMEHOW GLANCES IT WIDE! ON MY COMPLETE AND UTTER DAYS! ELITE SPORT, MY MATES, IS HARD, AND IF HE LOSES HERE, THAT ERROR WILL HAUNT THE DREAMS OF HIS GRANDCHILDREN! But he has one more go, on the Zverev serve…
Cobolli 1-6 6-4 4-6 6-6 (5-3) Zverev A big forehand from Cobolli and, on the stretch, Zverev goes long, his mini-break confiscated, and we’re back on serve at the changeover, Cobolli then unloading the suitcase on a forehand for 4-3 … and a double then donating 5-3, the umpire checking the mark to up the awful tension yet further.
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Cobolli 1-6 6-4 4-6 6-6 (1-3) Zverev Zverev, who’s won 12 breakers in a row in this competition, a record, doesn’t do enough with a volley, so Cobolli scurries in and passes him, saluting the crowd with a finger, Denis Law-style, to celebrate the immediate mini-break. Of course he then nets, handing it straight back, and I can’t remember the last time I saw two players choking simultaneously. But Zverev does well to snaffle the next point and, no longer looking so bothered by his cramp, is five holds away from paradise. And he secures the first with two groundstrokes that hit lines, backed up with a gorgeously-painted drop for 3-1; he’s getting there, but if we could measure such things, I’d say no one’s been more ill with nerves since Andy Murray tried serving out his first Wimbledon in 2013.
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*Cobolli 1-6 6-4 4-6 6-6 Zverev Zverev didn’t take a timeout, just took treatment for cramping, and we’ve seen him be fine playing way longer matches than this one – this is surely a stress-induced situation, the horror of the years haunting him. Cobolli, though, seems to have righted himself, winning a rat-a-tat-tat at the net, then slamming down an ace; we’re going to a fourth-set breaker and I’m feeling sick, never mind our players.
Cobolli 1-6 6-4 4-6 5-6 Zverev* Playing for time, Zverev is given a violation for not serving soon enough, but again, whatever his problem is, it’s allowing him to play with freedom, either because, unable to rely on his body lasting through tallies, he’s taking chances, or because problem-solving has distracted him from problems. He races to 40-0, but then at 40-15, dumps an overhead, the sickness threatening to overwhelm him … so he crunches an ace down the T, the umpire checking because Cobolli thinks it’s wide … which it isn’t. That is an absolutely colossal hold and. once it’s secure, Zverev calls out the trainer, the break heightening the tension even further. The Italian must now hold to stay in the match; can he keep level?
*Cobolli 1-6 6-4 4-6 5-5 Zverev Zverev keeps Cobolli waiting as is his wont, sickness no doubt rising in both. And it’s Cobolli’s that ejects first, a netted forehand making 0-15, but Zverev is stretching out his right leg – is he suffering a stress cramp, as Alcaraz did in the 2023 semi? Well, a stupefying forehand winner down the line suggests he’s OK and it’s soon 0-30, but a ball looped wide takes Cobolli to within two points of the set, cueing further leg extensions – I bet he tales a medical timeout if he loses this set. And at 15-30, a backhand clips the next and lands long … then another winner, a line forehand, raises break-back point! Is the cramp, if that’s what it is, forcing him to attack and shorten the rallies?And have a look! Another backhand winner, again flashed down the line, secures the break back, then Zverev takes a pill from someone who isn’t a doctor – this is getting very odd, both men wilting under pressure of ludicrous intensity.
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Cobolli 1-6 6-4 4-6 5-4 Zverev* Zverev rushes through a love hold, forcing Cobolli to serve for that decider. How are your nerves, old mate?
*Cobolli 1-6 6-4 4-6 5-3 Zverev A brilliant forehand from Zverev takes command of the first rally, but does he bottle the next shot? I fear he does, a telegraphed double sitting up, but he manages to ride out the point for 15-all, then Cobolli goes long on the backhand, his internal monologue haunting him. Zverev, though, does likewise for 30-all, then shovels a backhand wide … only for Cobolli to panic having misjudged an overhead, flapping long and taking us to deuce. The standard in’t great but the drama is immersive, another Zverev error – another zverror – donating advantage, converted thanks to a backhand down the line and follow-up volley. Cobolli is a game away from forcing a decider and yes, I’m regretting not consulting my local turf accountant for a price on him winning in five.
Cobolli 1-6 6-4 4-6 4-3 Zverev* A crafty squash-shot backhand down the line takes Cobolli to 15-all and an error from Zverev means 15-30 – the way this is going, I’m not sure either man will be able to hold it down long enough to close out. Meantime, though, the underdog backs away … and conjures a wondrous forehand winner flat down the line! Moments after breaking back, Zverev is down two break points, and he looks in turmoil, a supposition given weight when he opts to serve-volley, dumping his +1, and Cobolli is two hold away from forcing a decider. Both men look liable to vomit up their gizzard at any moment.
*Cobolli 1-6 6-4 4-6 3-3 Zverev Righto, here we go: how are your insides, Flavio? Cobolli opens the game with a double then, during a long and exacting rally, goes long on then forehand before thrashing another wide; at 0-40, the game and tournament might just be here. The first break point is saved when Zverev nets a forehand, an ace eliminates the second … and the third disappears when the German frames a forehand, his hard work ruined by two loose shots; he loves pressure as much as Axl Rose loves Mick wall from Kerrang! Oh, but another poor one from Cobolli donates advantage, and a thoroughly miserable game is ended by yet another forehand error, his break gone.
Cobolli 1-6 6-4 4-6 3-2 Zverev* That botched drop last game told us exactly how nervous Zverev is – and we’re not even that close to the end of the match, his bum not so much squeaky as shrieking Roxette’s It Must’ve Been Love. He does, though, control this game pretty well, but at both 30-0 and 40-15, Cobolli finds winners … only to return into the net on game point. Zverev secures a vital hold, but can he find the break-back?
*Cobolli 1-6 6-4 4-6 3-1 Zverev Up 15-0, Cobolli nets, and it’s occurring to me that, engaging though this final is, it lacks the rare genius Sincaraz disburse like it’s nothing. Oh, and when the Italian nets a forehand for 30-all, he needs to find something … actually, no he doesn’t, because Zverev gives it to him, waving a telegraphed drop that’s easily mashed back at him and, from there, the hold is secured.
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Cobolli 1-6 6-4 4-6 2-1 Zverev* Zverev needed that, “that” being a a gold to love, sealed with an ace. He’s into this fourth set, but can he find the break-back he needs?
*Cobolli 1-6 6-4 4-6 2-0 Zverev Has Zverev ever considered lozzing his ponytail? Maybe he’s using up all his bravery walking about with that on his heed – just a thought. Meantime, Cobolli makes 40-15, then nails a T-serve so nashes in behind it to dispatch a volley, sealing a critical hold.
Cobolli 1-6 6-4 4-6 1-0 Zverev* Zverev opens set four with a statement service-winner … but follows it with a telling double. This is not easy for him, at all, and when he jiggers a volley with classically hard hands, Cobolli – who won’t be over bussing all the work he put into set three with four tame errors – runs in to make 15-30. Gosh, and another double follows – focus, nerves or random, you decide – and a long service ups the pressure yet further. Then, when the rally gets under way, neither man takes any chances, then Zverev goes wide, and he’ll be fearing that, yet again, he doesn’t have the moxie to see out a final.
Alexander Zverev takes the third set 6-4 to lead Flavio Cobolli 2-1
*Cobolli 1-6 6-4 4-6 Zverev Cobolli quickly makes 30-0, but then overhits a forehand after annihilating a succession thereof. And the mistake might just tell, Zverev upping the ante next rally, knowing his time has come, a netted forehand making things tight … and another raising set point! Out of nowhere, Cobolli seems to have remembered he’s playing in a grand slam final, so he opens his body to unleash his trusty inside-out forehand … and misses the sideline by a fraction. That was fair enough; the problem was the errors which preceded it and, as he’s been twice before, Zverev is a set away from fulfilling his heart’s desires. Cobolli will be feeling extremely poorly, because he blinked without that much prompting so to do.
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Cobolli 1-6 6-4 4-5 Zverev* An ace down the T opens the game, then another out wide takes command of it; Zverev’s serve really is one of the finest shots in the game. And though, at 40-0, Cobolli reads one, flashing back a forehand winner, the German then lanks in to flicks a drop back across the face of the net, securing a vital hold; he’s a game away from a 2-1 lead, scoreboard pressure gnawing at Cobolli’s ankles.
*Cobolli 1-6 6-4 4-4 Zverev Zverev makes 0-15 but Cobolli zooms in under the radar to tickle a terrific volley over the net – I really like the way he’s balancing risk and reward now. But at 30-15, he doesn’t do enough with a backhand pick-up so is deservedly punished … then a poor return allows him to dictate the next point and a leaping forehand winner, down the line and on to the baseline, secures the hold. His confidence is radiating through the screen – I suggest you try and grab some, because we could all do with just a bit of it. This is getting tight….
Cobolli 1-6 6-4 3-4 Zverev* A love hold to Zverev, who’s doing a decent job of managing the intense pressure he’s under. We’ve said it before, several times over the course of the last fortnight, but it bears repeating: everything he’s ever wanted and worked for, all the pain, all the tears, all the desperation, can be alleviated this afternoon … or branded upon his soul. At 29, he’s not near the end, but if he can’t get it done with Sinner and Alcaraz removed for him, the scarring will be profound and debilitating.
*Cobolli 1-6 6-4 3-3 Zverev A brilliant Zverev backhand, swatted low over the net, makes 15-all, but Cobolli is into his work now, a big serve facilitating an inside-out forehand winner to the corner. But when a backhand, taken early but overhit, hands over 40-30, he’s under a bit of pressure … which he wears superbly, that serve-forehand combo again doing the business. This is now a tremendous contest.
Cobolli 1-6 6-4 2-3 Zverev* Make no mistake, Zverev’s wounds are smarting, and they’re affecting him – he’s picking safe options to avoid giving anything away, whereas Cobolli is paying each ball on its merits, taking risks to make gains. The German does, though, secure another hold, the match rattling along with pleasing tempo and intensity.
*Cobolli 1-6 6-4 2-2 Zverev Oooh, at 0-15, Cobolli overhits the inside-out forehand that served him so well in set two, a flatter one cross-court earning him 15-30. This is a crucial point in the match and Zverev comes in … but the attempted pass is wide, just, and here come two breaking opportunities. The first is burned when the German gets nervous, decelerating through a netted forehand, worrying about outcome not process – the ball was there for him, he had every right to hit it. A serve out wide follows, Cobolli rushing in to put away a volley then, up advantage, he chwhips a forehand on to the sideline, and he’s playing with the greater confidence now.
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Cobolli 1-6 6-4 1-2 Zverev* Zverev moves to 40-0, so Cobolli backs away like he’s trying to open up the off side, the serve down the middle out, completing a double. But from there, the German secures his hold, and we might be reaching that elusive juncture in which both players are playing well.
*Cobolli 1-6 6-4 1-1 Zverev There’s a confidence about Cobolli at the moment, but at 40-15, he rally-balls a backhand long … then thwacks a terrific serve out wide, which is exactly what I mean: he backs himself, but must take advantage of his improving form to forge in front in the match,
Cobolli 1-6 6-4 0-1 Zverev* Cobolli must make Zverev play now, looking to exploit his nerves and memories … and he quickly makes 0-15. From there, though, the German wins four quick points on the spin, and will be feeling a bit better now. Meantime, in a novel move, the King of France seems to prefer a boater to a crown – or he’s come dressed as a movie villain with humanising, individuating swag.
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Flavio Cobolli takes the second set 6-4 to level with Alexander Zverev at one set all
*Cobolli 1-6 6-4 Zverev Zverev makes 0-15 but Cobolli quickly restores parity in the game, an ace, swinging out wide, earning 30-15. So he asks for the same ball back, hammering it long, but finds a fine backhand down the line to the corner and seems to have found the balance between going for his shots but with greater margin of error, raising two set points in the process. and though his volley, racing in behind his serve, is over-excited, Zverev nets his riposte, and he’ll be feeling it now, as we go level at one set apiece.
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Cobolli 1-6 5-4 Zverev* Down 0-15, Cobolli again opens shoulders to lamp an inside-out forehand that’s too good and the crowd sing his name, then Zverev goes long off the forehand and, at 15-30, is two points away from losing the set. And though he makes 40-30, Cobolli drags a forehand, almost from behind him, cross-court for a winner so back to deuce we go, Zverev missing a game-point volley with another error. Two more advantages then go unconverted, before a big forehand is fired back by Cobolli … but the German responds brilliantly, a forehand dipping just over the net, and from there, he secures his hold. Cobolli will have to serve for one set-all.
*Cobolli 1-6 5-3 Zverev Zverev, who shared some sentiments with his team between games, goes long on the backhand then looks to make Cobolli play, inciting him to overhit a forehand for 15-all. But Cobolli is into stride now, opening up his body to punish an inside-out forehand into the corner for a winer, before a drop facilitates the clean-up backhand; 40-15. And though Zverev dominates the next rally, a big serve earns a simple clean-up, and the Italian is a game away from levelling the match.
Cobolli 1-6 4-3 Zverev* What Zverev’s doing really well is winning the first point or two of his service-games – as he does here, a lackadaisical forehand into the net mattering much less now he’s got a buffer. Oh but a backhand winner down the line takes us to 30-all and, for the first time, the German is under a bit of pressure, flapping a backhand wide when a deep return spits at him – or, as they say in America for reasons I don’t understand, “spit at him”. For the first time in the match, the Italian has break point, doing a brilliant job of sticking in the longest point of the match so far, until the weight of Zverev’s shots tells – though, for reasons known best to himself, in 23-stroke exchange, he only targets the forehand twice. But on advantage, Zverev doubles and, for the first time, momentum is in the balance … so he hammers a service winner out wide. Again, though, Cobolli saves game point, this time with a gorgeous disguised drop … so Zverev diddles him with one of the same … only to swat a backhand wide, restoring deuce. Gosh, and a double follows, so here comes the biggest rally of the match … and when Cobolli’s return lands in, the German panics, overhitting an inside-out forehand to cede the break! This is getting interesting…
*Cobolli 1-6 3-3 Zverev This is much better from Cobolli – there’s some confidence about him now, his shot-selection much better. But at 40-15, he offers Zverev space into the forehand corner and the flat backhand hits it with extreme prejudice … then the next return catches the net. For now, at least, we got ourselves a ball-game, Cobolli doing all he can to manipulate the crowd so his opponent feels it.
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Cobolli 1-6 2-3 Zverev* Well, he can, but still finds himself down 0-30 and unable to return the next serve, the one after that coming back but offering a simple putaway. It’s not a disaster for Cobolli – if he can keep holding, this set can come down a few points here and there in a breaker. There’s a lot of work to do between now and then, but.
*Cobolli 1-6 2-2 Zverev Cobolli is playing better now, picking his shots well, and he’s starting to enjoy himself, holding to 15 and noising up the crowd thereafter. He wants an atmosphere on court to remind Zverev – and himself – of what’s at stake, but can he land a few returns?
Cobolli 1-6 1-2 Zverev* Zverev rushes trough a love hold and looks impregnable in the process. This is the most authoritatively I’ve seen him play in a major final – so far, he’s bullying Cobolli, who’ll be under pressure when he goes to serve again, a punishment for being broken in the final game of set one.
*Cobolli 1-6 1-1 Zverev There’s not been much bull-fight trumpeting so far today, a travesty remedied no sooner have i typed my disappointment Ole! Meantime, Cobolli makes 30-15 then hurls himself into a forehand, Zverev’s defensive stretch moon-ball dropping long, just, an ace out wide securing a vital hold, and the crowd love it – they want to see a contest and for that, we need the Italian on the board in set two.
Cobolli 1-6 0-1 Zverev* Cobolli looked really nervous in that first set, and seemed to be looking for lines and corners, when bigger targets would’ve served him better. In fairness, Zverev served pretty well, and he opens set two in similar vein, holding to 15; this next game is a biggun.
Is it gonna go Cobolli’s way? If you want it, you got to believe, yeah.
Alexander Zverev takes the first set against Flavio Cobolli 6-1
*Cobolli 1-6 Zverev Cobolli needs a hold here, not because the set is salvageable but to send a message he’s settled and into it. He’s got loads of charisma – I’m reliably advised he doesn’t struggle for amorous advances – which usually translates to how he competes, but here, he’s been either tentative or wild and, at 30-40, Zverev larrups a forehand winner cross-court to seal a one-sided, three-break opening set.
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Cobolli 1-5 Zverev* Not for the first time, Zverev frames a forehand, but Cobolli isn’t getting his lengths right yet, going long for 15-all. But a netted forehand means 15-30; can he capitalise? Er, no. He does miss by fractions with an improbably backhand down the line, but all that does is secure the second consolidation, which means he’ll now serve to stay in set one having barely participated in it.
*Cobolli 1-4 Zverev Cobolli misses with a backhand down the line, and looks in trouble next rally when Zverev, improbably, returns around the net. But he’s in position to stick it away, only to then find himself down 15-30, his woes compounded when an inside-out forehand falls wide; he’s not quite hitting his spots yet and now faces two points for a double break. And it only takes one, an attempted drop hitting the top of the net, and this set is almost over.
Cobolli 1-3 Zverev* Ach, Cobolli, almost on top of the net, bumps a volley long, then Zverev hooks a forehand to the corner; 30-0. But at 40-15, he swipes a backhand cross from side to side, right at the Italian – who has a huge chunk of open court at which to aim. He hits it well too, but from there, the German closes out the hold, and he’s playing well enough here, wearing the pressure pretty comfortably so far.
*Cobolli 1-2 Zverev Cobolli nets a backhand for 0-15, but whips a beauty of a forehand down the line, from inside the corner, to make 30-15. And from there, he closes out the hold, an inside-out forehand to the corner securing things, and he’ll feel much better for that.
Cobolli 0-2 Zverev* Down 0-15, Zverev delivers a monstrous T-serve … then another, backed up with an overhead putaway,. A delivery out wide then facilitates a clean-up to the opposite corner, and a high-kicker out wide secures the consolidation. That was definitive.
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*Cobolli 0-1 Zverev (*denotes server) A forehand error for 0-15, then a double for 0-30; Cobolli needs to slow himself down, presumably why Zverev opted to receive. And though the Italian takes control of the next rally, he soon goes long on the forehand, meaning he now faces two break points, the first saved when a forehand falls long and the second by a netted backhand, at the end of a much longer rally. Neither man is at it yet, but Cobolli makes advantage thanks to a fine serve which sets up the rally, and the game looks secure when Zverev nets a return … except somehow, it clambers over the tape and back to deuce we go. From there, two massive forehands earn the Italian a second advantage, only for one into the net to scrub it, the another down the line is slightly wide and Zverev has what Jim Courier describes as “a third bite at the apple” – which doesn’t make sense as one might not finish it in one, as would happen to a cherry. Cobolli does find the big serve he needs, but a poor drop allows the German to make advantage again, and this time, when Zverev hits the baseline on the return, the change in bounce causes him to frame his riposte, and that’s the break!
Righto, Cobolli to serve. Ready …play.
Now here comes Zverev, looking less nervous than Cobolli. It’s sunny, so we won’t have our players stuck under a roof playing on wet mud, as happened in yesterday’s men’s doubles final.
Our players, in the locker room together, are ready … and here comes Cobolli. This is the biggest moment of his life: he’ll never have experienced anything like this.
Five weeks ago, Cobolli beat Zverev 3 and 3 in the semis at Munich. It’s true that, subsequently, the outcome was reversed in Madrid, but that was on a much faster court than Chatrier – which is more similar to the one in Germany.
So how’s it going to go? I’d love to say Cobolli in five, but Zverev in four looks the likeliest outcome. His ability to serve himself out of difficult situations will, I think, be the difference.
For my part, I think Cobolli needs to stick Zverev on his bike – rather than just hit winners, he needs to stop his his opponent planting feet. That means plenty of drop-shots – I think he can beat him at net – but also angled balls that break the sidelines and deep balls towards corners.
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In terms of how Cobolli beats Zverev, Coach Calv gets in touch to let us know: “Cobolli is a quality player. No stand out weaknesses. He can live with Zverev off the ground and even beat him. The men’s game now they all play the same. There isn’t much tactically. They’re all baseline ball strikers and it’s just whoever hits it better. It’s a grim reality of the game.”
This is a great stat: Zverev is the first player since Mats Wilander in 1988 whose opponent in the round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final had never reached that stage before. Or, in other words, this tournament could not have gone more in his favour and, though he’s not played especially close to his best, he’s been more than good enough for those he’s faced.
Almost. Because though, for Zverev, everything he’s worked for and sacrificed is on the line here, he too doesn’t know when he might work his way back to this stage; it might be next month but it might also be never, with neither hard to believe as an outcome. The more balls he retrieves, the more Zverev will have to go for to hit winners – or the more he’ll retreat into safe play – and that is when he can pounce.
Quite a while ago now, Coach Calv Betton – whose charge, Henry Patten, lost in the final of the men’s doubles yesterday – messaged to tell me he’d seen a player. This is always exciting – others of whom I was advised early doors include Felix Auger-Aliassime, Carlos Alcaraz and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard – and he was sure Cobolli, for that was who it was, would develop into a top-10 talent.
Well, he’s there now, and though grand slam finals are hard to come by in the Sincaraz era, I’m not surprised to see him in one. If he plays well today, he can win this match – Zverev’s forehand and volleying, though improved, are weaknesses – and for him, this is almost a free hit.
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Preamble
Salut à tous et bienvenue à Roland-Garros 2026 – dernier jour!
Broadly speaking, we invented sport because we wanted to know who was the fastest, the strongest and the best. But that was a while ago now, and the behemoth we nurtured now serves an entirely different purpose: in a fragmented, atomised, divided world, sport is company and in sport is community, a real-time, real-life friend and family. If we’re sad, lonely or bored, we know sport has our back, caring, nurturing and teaching with gentle omnipresence, asking nothing in return. If we’re happy, in company and engaged, we know sport has our back, caring, nurturing and teaching with gentle omnipresence, asking nothing in return.
For these reasons, even the worst sport is better than the best almost everything else – and verily has the French Open 2026 been not that. Over the last fortnight, we’ve had bestowed upon us a succession of barely believable matches and outcomes, our days enriched and our existences affirmed by a raft of compelling stories that remind us how to feel, a joy shared across the world – so too the knowledge that we’ll be talking about what we’ve lived for as long as we live. That is a precious, restorative elixir to carry with us … but now we want the final we and the tournament deserve.
Alexander Zverev has probably spent most of his life assuming that, at some point, he’d become a grand slam champion – let’s be real, his demeanour has never hidden it, one of various reasons many will be hoping he loses today. And though he lost the 2020 US Open final to Dominic Thiem from two sets up, followed by a five-set final to Carlos Alcaraz in the 2024 edition of this competition, the feeling persisted that, though he struggled to find his best game when he needed it most, his time would come. Except he then made the 2025 final in Melbourne, endured an exhibition spanking from Jannik Sinner, and something within him changed – how couldn’t it? He was good, but he was significantly less good than the two best, fading as they grew, and there was no sense he could best both in a two-week major.
Which makes this fortnight the opportunity of a lifetime, Alcaraz injured and Sinner beaten by illness. The question now, though, is whether that inspires him or ratchets pressure up to such paralysing degree it prevents him from performing; neither outcome would be surprising.
And, though many seem to consider a final against Flavio Cobolli to be as close to as gimme as you can get, that is not really the case. Of course, Zverev is good enough to win in straight sets, but he faces an opponent who, it’s been clear for several years now, has the talent to challenge the elite. His forehand is a tremendous shot, he returns superbly and moves beautifully, perhaps the quickest player on tour. But more than that, he competes like he means it and, though of course he’ll be nervous, he won’t freeze – partly because he doesn’t carry the weight of expectation, mainly because he’s just one of those many sportsfolk built differently to the rest of us, the warmth of his embrace turning fear into opportunity. He will be ready.
And so will we, caring for ourselves by caring about this, the experience of being us made better by the unique captivation of Roland-Garros 2026. Chauette! On y va!
Play: 3pm local, 2pm BST
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