He came, he saw, he conquered. Alexander Zverev is finally a major champion, triumphing in five thrilling sets over Flavio Cobolli in the French Open final on Sunday. It wasn’t easy. The German had to dig deep against a never-say-die opponent in Cobolli. However, fourth time was the charm for Zverev, who would not be denied and finally broke through in the fourth major final of his career.
Here’s how Zverev defeated Cobolli to win the elusive major.
A dynamite first serve that was there whenever Zverev needed it
Zverev’s first serve was his safety blanket when the cold doubt crept in mentally, the rock he leaned on when his legs briefly failed him in the fourth set. Simply put, the booming serve was dynamite, whether it was down the line or out wide.
And the serve was arguably never needed more than in the fifth set, with Zverev up 1–0 but down 0–30 on his serve after a double fault. Zverev proceeded to spin every first serve from that point on, including an ace to even things up at 30-all. The German, after a lengthy backhand-to-backhand rally, sailed one long to set up a break chance for Cobolli. Yet, the serve was there to answer the call for Zverev once again, as he boomed one down the line and won the ensuing exchange. Then, with the advantage, Zverev delivered another firecracker serve down the line to earn the crucial hold.
Zverev connected on 76% of his first serves and won 73% of the points on his first serve, but those numbers hardly even do justice to just how reliable it was for the 29-year-old.
Zverev held strong mentally
Given how close he’s come in the past, you would have forgiven Zverev if he had succumbed to his demons, which were lurking throughout the match against Cobolli. The German has been close enough to a major to win the first two sets, only to lose the ensuing three, just as he did during the 2020 US Open final against Dominic Thiem. Heck, Thiem, as if a living ghost, was even in the stands to take in the match between Zverev and Cobolli.
The first of many oh-no-here-we-go moments, Zverev could have unraveled after a nervy and error-filled second set in which Cobolli picked up some momentum. But he held it together and responded by taking the third set. He could have unraveled mentally when his legs cramped up in the fourth set and Cobolli played some truly fearless tennis, which led to a fourth set tiebreak that was ultimately won by the Italian.
Again, Zverev could have unraveled in the fifth set after breaking Cobolli only to go down 0–30 after a double fault. But with some big serving and excellent ball-striking, Zverev stormed back to seize the momentum right back in set No. 5.
Most importantly of all, Zverev’s head didn’t fail him. In fact, the very thing that doomed him in the past was his greatest asset on Sunday, and helped him fight through some nerve-induced cramps, leading to some of his best tennis of the match.
The more grueling the tennis, the better Zverev was
This was a physical, four hour-and-16 minute war of attrition between the two men, particularly on the baseline. And remarkably enough, the longer the rallies, the better Zverev was.
Rallies that last one-to-four shots (67–66 in favor of Cobolli) or five-to-eight shots (exactly even) were almost a dead heat. But Zverev held a significant edge on rallies that lasted nine shots or longer, winning 39 points to Cobolli’s 12.
Cobolli, to his credit, didn’t shy away from backhand-to-backhand exchanges, but those were almost overwhelmingly won by Zverev, whose backhand, either down the line or crosscourt, was a legitimate weapon on Sunday.
It was no easy task to outlast Cobolli, whose defensive skills on the clay were off the charts Sunday. But that’s exactly what Zverev managed to do, and it was a huge reason why he emerged as a Grand Slam champion for the first time in his career.
