4 min readUpdated: Jun 8, 2026 12:36 AM IST
As Alexander Zverev trudged over the line at Roland Garros on Sunday, he slew some demons that had lingered for long.
Given an unexpectedly tough fight by the plucky underdog, Italian 10th seed Flavio Cobolli, Zverev did just enough to win a five-set slow-burner 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-1 and find a breakthrough that was six years in the making. The German won an elusive first Grand Slam title in his fourth final after spending the better part of a decade as one of the best players in the world.
It was in the COVID-era US Open final in 2020, in front of an empty stadium, that Zverev had established his reputation as something of a choker. He lost the final despite leading by two sets. He lost another, in Paris two years ago to Carlos Alcaraz, from a 2-1 sets lead. Even as he went about establishing himself as one of the best players of his generation, his failure to take the next step at the Majors represented a lack of mental fortitude, a kind of moral flabbiness that is detested within the brutal, high-stakes world of professional tennis.
Lifting it as high as possible 🏆#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/odCKPn58OQ
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 7, 2026
Real-world immorality left his image in tatters. Allegations of domestic abuse from two former partners, which he has denied, have hung over his head and lingered in public imagination. An anti-domestic-abuse protester even heckled him before his runners-up speech at last year’s Australian Open. A fine and default for assaulting a chair umpire shortly after did not help. It painted a picture of a player who seemed incapable of winning the sport’s highest honours, and a fair few supporters did not want to see him do it.
But no matter how unpopular he became off the court, it was only a matter of time until Zverev – with his mix of talent, toughness and consistency – found the requisite luck and momentum to make his breakthrough. It came in fortuitous circumstances and featured some of his characteristic lapses in the final, but was built on another characteristic that has become his hallmark over the last five years: consistency.
Alcaraz did not make it to the tournament due to injury. Jannik Sinner lost a battle to heat and illness in the second round. Novak Djokovic was bundled out of the tournament the next day. It left Zverev an open field to get through: his victory is only the second instance in which a player won a title at a 128-player Grand Slam without facing a top-10 opponent. The German did so by staying steady as all the other top players in the draw tumbled around him.
Even as Zverev went about winning 24 career titles, including an Olympic gold, the Majors were his weakness because the rhythms of best-of-five-sets tennis don’t suit him. His tendency to get passive and lack courage in the biggest moments has often seen him squander advantageous positions. And for a player infamous for lacking mettle, the expectations of being the overwhelming favourite for a maiden Grand Slam title after his main challengers fell away would have been even more daunting.
All the emotions!#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/ClsZBSd0B1
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 7, 2026
But the 29-year-old kept his cool. He stayed steady, dropping only two sets en route to the final. Even as Cobolli took Sunday’s match to places that he hates, and even as he dealt with cramps in the fourth and fifth sets, Zverev stayed consistent and controlled the controllables. He was steady, if not overwhelming, in the baseline exchanges. He served phenomenally well in the fifth set despite the disappointment of a lacklustre fourth-set tiebreak. And he let his opponent’s level fall without letting his focus waver. All the familiar complaints disappeared. Sometimes, consistency pays off more than flash.
His triumph is proof that consistently making deep runs in Majors is bound to result in a breakthrough. Having cleared a key mental hurdle, where his career goes from here will be an object of fascination. This could be Zverev’s crowning moment.
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Equally, it could spur him on to break the Sinner-Alcaraz duopoly that has been established in men’s tennis today. Through it all, expect the applause to only be polite and begrudging.
