'I will always be a Grand Slam champion': Alexander Zverev after winning French Open 2026

PARIS: Alexander Zverev believes one Grand Slam title may be the start of something bigger.


The 29-year-old German, the world No. 3, arrived at Sunday’s French Open final against Italy’s Flavio Cobolli having won an Olympic gold medal, two ATP Finals and seven Masters 1000 crowns. What he did not have was a Grand Slam trophy. Roland Garros 2026 changed that.


“No matter what happens now, I will always be a Grand Slam champion, and nobody can take that away from me,” he said. “Maybe, that gives me some freedom, maybe my mind will just be a little bit calmer when I play a final, meaning that even if I lose it, I will still be a Grand Slam champion. Now that I've won it, I feel like I can do it again.”







Zverev has been one of the most consistent performers at the top of the men's game, demonstrating a willingness to challenge Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, particularly as the 39-year-old Novak Djokovic has scaled back his schedule. The world No. 3, with 7,305 ranking points, sits more than 2,000 points behind No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, who has been sidelined by injury since April, while maintaining a similar cushion over fourth-ranked Felix Auger-Aliassime.


It felt inevitable that Zverev would eventually find himself on one of the sport's biggest stages without Sinner or Alcaraz standing across the net. The lingering question, however, is how he can convert his consistency into multiple Grand Slam titles.


“I've managed the last two weeks extremely well, because with all the losses that happened early on with Jannik going out, Novak going out, I managed to stay composed. I feel like I was playing really good tennis,” he said of the Roland Garros fortnight. “But then in the final I didn't manage so well, I was a lot more nervous.”


“That's why I say the cramps helped me in a way, because my mind let go,” he said of the fourth set. “I started swinging more freely, I started hitting the ball a bit more aggressive. That's because of the cramps, I couldn't focus on being tight anymore. I had to kind of let go.”


For all of Zverev's accomplishments on court, questions about his conduct have followed him throughout much of his career. The two domestic violence allegations made against him remain recurring reference points in discussions of his rise, particularly the second allegation made by former partner Brenda Patea, the mother of his child. Patea pursued the matter through the courts, but the case was terminated in 2024 following a reported out-of-court settlement.


Concerns about Zverev's behaviour were also heightened by an unrelated but highly public display of misconduct at the 2022 Mexican Open in Acapulco. After losing an opening-round doubles match alongside Marcelo Melo, Zverev reacted furiously, repeatedly striking umpire Alessandro Germani's chair with his racket. He was defaulted from the tournament and forfeited all prize money and ranking points earned there.


His career has also been defined by significant physical challenges. Diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes as a child, Zverev has spent his professional life managing a condition that demands constant monitoring and discipline. In 2022, he suffered a devastating ankle injury on Court Philippe-Chatrier during a gripping French Open semi-final against Rafael Nadal. After rolling his ankle in a second-set tie-break, he was forced to retire from the match, later undergoing surgery and missing the remainder of the season.


Admired by many of his peers and embraced by much of the Paris crowd, Zverev has finally secured the Grand Slam title that long eluded him. Yet even in victory, he remains one of the most complex figures in the sport.