'Always felt he was a special player': Sachin Tendulkar reacts as Alexander Zverev finally breaks Grand Slam curse

NEW DELHI: Alexander Zverev finally achieved the biggest milestone of his career by winning his first Grand Slam title at the French Open. The German star defeated Flavio Cobolli in a thrilling five-set final, 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-1, ending years of near-misses on tennis’ biggest stages.

After sealing victory, Zverev collapsed onto the clay in tears, overwhelmed by the moment after more than four hours of intense competition.





His triumph also earned praise from Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, who wrote on X: “Sometimes tennis can take a long time to give back what players keep putting in. Good to see Alexander Zverev win his first Grand Slam at Roland-Garros today. Always felt he was a special player!”

“Credit to Flavio Cobolli for the way he competed today as well. Both players gave everything to the game.”

Zverev entered the tournament as one of the favorites, especially after several top contenders exited early. World No. 1 Jannik Sinner struggled and was knocked out, while Novak Djokovic also exited the tournament. Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz withdrew before the event due to injury.

Having lost his previous three Grand Slam finals, including the 2024 French Open final and the 2020 US Open final after leading, Zverev made sure history did not repeat itself. The victory marked the 25th title of his professional career and placed him among a select group of players who won their first major title in their fourth Grand Slam final.

For Cobolli, reaching the final was already a career-best achievement. The Italian had never advanced beyond a Grand Slam quarterfinal before this tournament and was hoping to become Italy’s first men’s French Open champion since 1976.

Although Zverev dominated early, Cobolli battled back and pushed the match into a deciding fifth set. However, the Italian appeared to run out of energy in the final stages, allowing Zverev to take control and finally secure the Grand Slam crown he had chased for years.