Alexander Zverev savours a ‘happy end’ at French Open after grand slam heartache
Alexander Zverev put his grand slam heartache behind him to finally lift a major trophy at the French Open.
The German was presented with a golden opportunity in the absence of injured two-time winner Carlos Alcaraz and with Jannik Sinner losing early, and he battled to a 6-1 4-6 6-4 6-7 (5) 6-1 victory over Italy’s Flavio Cobolli.
It is nearly six years since the German blew a golden chance to win the US Open against Dominic Thiem, while he also lost in Paris to Alcaraz two years ago and to Sinner at the Australian Open last year.
Another memory that came into Zverev’s mind as he held the Coupe des Mousquetaires was the severe ankle injury he suffered during a semi-final against Rafael Nadal four years ago.
“This court is so special to me in so many ways,” said the 29-year-old. “I’ve had the best moments of my life on this court, I had the worst moment of my life on this court.
“I was laid in that corner four years ago with seven broken ligaments and two fractured bones. I lost a grand slam final here two years ago. Now finally it’s a happy end.”
Turning to his team sat in the stands, Zverev said: “We’ve been through so much, we’ve been through injuries, we’ve been through heartbreak, we’ve been losers in the most important moments, but, at the end of the day, we’re grand slam champions.”
Tenth seed Cobolli was an unexpected if not wholly unlikely opponent and the 24-year-old recovered well from a nervous start in his first slam final to push Zverev all the way before running out of gas in the fifth set.
Cobolli admitted he began suffering with cramp at the end of the fourth set, saying: “I felt so tired. My body left me on the court.”
An emotional and exhausted Zverev collapsed onto the clay when a final overhead from Cobolli landed well long before the good friends shared a long hug.
It was not quite the dramatic denouement of 12 months ago, when Alcaraz and Sinner contested one of the best matches of all time, but it was a fitting ending to what has been a refreshingly unpredictable tournament.
The winner will certainly not be universally welcomed, though. While Zverev’s tennis CV merits a major title, he is a polarising figure after being accused of domestic violence by two ex-girlfriends.
He has strenuously denied all the accusations but Brenda Patea, who is also the mother of his daughter, took her case to court before Zverev reached a financial settlement.
Zverev is the first German man to win a slam singles title since Boris Becker at the Australian Open 30 years ago, while it had been so long since a German triumphed here that the victor, Henner Henkel, later died at the Battle of Stalingrad.
Cobolli was effusive in his praise of Zverev, saying in his on-court speech: “It’s not easy for me to talk right now but I want to start with you Alex, if someone asked me who deserves more this title, I always said you.
“I’m happy for you. I’m also sad because I was close and I feel it. Now that you achieved your dream, let me win the next time.”
Cobolli, who will break into the top 10 next week for the first time, described it as “the best week of my life”.
He added: “I started to play tennis when I was young and I never expect this kind of result.
“But, now that I’m here, I just want to make possible something special because, for me, it’s not done, it’s only the start. I’m still young. I just want to enjoy the moments I spend on court with my smile.”
Both men had lost only two sets in reaching the final but Cobolli had been given a walkover in his semi-final after friend and countryman Matteo Arnaldi came down with an ill-timed stomach virus.
Zverev, who is a Type 1 diabetic, and Cobolli were clearly struggling physically in the final set but it became clear early in the decider that it was the Italian’s race that was run.
Published: by Radio NewsHub