Alexander Zverev overcomes nerves to win a grand slam in five-set thriller
In his fourth major final, Alexander Zverev can finally call himself a grand slam champion, holding his nerve to beat Flavio Cobolli 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-1. Both men were their own worst enemies at times, as the unforced error count mounted. But it was the favourite who was finally able to celebrate, falling backwards onto the clay in tears that were prompted by a mixture of both joy and relief. In 2024, when Zverev played his last Roland Garros final, his fortnight was overshadowed by a domestic violence trial that was discontinued the morning of the men’s semi-finals by a criminal court in Berlin. This time around, he has been the standout favourite since Jannik Sinner was undone by a combination of illness and heat in the second round. Only a year ago, Zverev proclaimed that “didn’t want to be the best player in history without a grand slam” and on Sunday, he ensured he would not be. The German had an ideal opportunity at the US Open in 2020 to win a …
