Alexander Zverev Finally Breaks Through To Win 1st Major At Roland Garros

BusinessSportsMoneyAlexander Zverev Finally Breaks Through To Win 1st Major At Roland GarrosByAdam Zagoria,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I'm a basketball and tennis insiderFollow AuthorJun 07, 2026, 01:46pm EDTJun 07, 2026, 01:49pm EDTGermany's Alexander Zverev plays a forehand return to Italy's Flavio Cobolli during their men's final singles match on day 15 of the French Open tennis tournament on Court Philippe-Chatrier at the Roland-Garros Complex in Paris on June 7, 2026. (Photo by Alain JOCARD / AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty ImagesFor several years now, Alexander Zverev has earned the unfortunate banner of being “the best player never to win a major championship.”The 29-year-old German world No. 3 had been 0-3 in Grand Slam finals entering Sunday’s Roland Garros final.But No. 2 seed Zverev finally got the monkey off his back with a dramatic 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-1 victory over No. 10 Flavio Cobolli to win his first major title.Before appearing in his second Roland Garros final in three years, Zverev was asked ahead of the match by TNT’s Mary Joe Fernandez if it would be sweeter to win his first major in Paris.“At this point I don’t care anymore, but it would be nice,” he told Fernandez with a laugh.The German will take home $3.25 million with the title, while Cobolli, who was seeking to become the first Italian man to win at Roland Garros since 1976, earned $1.624 million.Zverev had been 0-3 in Slam finals but finally broke through for his 25th title. He is the first German men’s singles champion at Roland Garros since 1937 and the first German man to win a major title since Boris Becker at the 1996 Australian Open.Zverev’s victory snapped a streak of nine consecutive majors won by No. 1 Jannik Sinner and No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz.MORE FOR YOUBut the door opened wide when Alcaraz was forced to miss the tournament with a wrist injury and then Sinner was stunned by Juan Martin Cerundolo in...