Zverev wins French Open for first Grand Slam title, ends German 30-year drought

Germany's Alexander Zverev captured his maiden Grand Slam title at the French Open on Sunday, triumphing over Italy's Flavio Cobolli in a grueling five-set thriller. The final score stood at 6:1, 4:6, 6:4, 6:7 (5-7), 6:1, marking a career-defining moment for the 29-year-old.

This historic win ends a 30-year drought for German men's singles tennis at the Grand Slams, with Boris Becker being the last German to achieve such a feat at the 1996 Australian Open. Zverev, a former two-time ATP Finals champion and winner of seven Masters 1000 titles, also holds the Olympic gold medal from Tokyo.

Despite his previous successes, Zverev had faced heartbreak in his prior three Grand Slam finals, including the 2020 US Open, the 2024 French Open, and the 2025 Australian Open. This fourth attempt at a major title proved to be the charm, as he finally lifted the Musketeers' Trophy, overcoming the disappointment of being "empty-handed" at the majors.

Facing his 24-year-old friend Cobolli, who was making his first Grand Slam final appearance, Zverev leveraged his experience and powerful baseline game. Although he faltered in the fourth-set tiebreak, Zverev regrouped in the decisive fifth set, breaking Cobolli's serve twice to secure the victory after four hours and 16 minutes of intense play. He collapsed onto the clay court in emotion after the win and shared a warm embrace with Cobolli at the net, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd.

Zverev is now the third German man in the Open Era (since 1968) to win a Grand Slam singles title. The victory comes with a prize of 2.8 million euros (approximately 103 million Taiwanese dollars).