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Alexander Zverev's maiden Grand Slam win at the 2026 French Open has once again triggered the debate over whether a new challenger has emerged against the duopoly of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner or not.
The German star on Sunday became the first Major champion not named Sinner or Alcaraz since 2025. The top two of men's tennis had shared the last nine Grand Slams among them before the third-ranked Zverev finally broke the pattern.
Zverev won his first Grand Slam title by defeating Flavio Cobolli 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7, 6-1 in the final on Sunday. He thus became the first German to win a Major men's singles title since Boris Becker did it over three decades ago.
Zverev had previously lost three Grand Slam finals including one in Paris. Former World No.1 Mats Wilander, who won his first major at the age of 17, said that the victory will give Zverev belief that he can win more.
”It makes it seem possible that you can win another one, that’s the first thought - ‘wow, I can do it, it wasn’t that hard’. During the match it’s hard, but when you win it you feel so confident and you think ‘I did it’," Wilander said on TNT Sports.
”That is actually what I felt, and then I lost the next one in the final, and then things changed completely. It will be interesting to see how Zverev takes this win. Is it such a relief that it will be hard for him to focus on the future or will the floodgates open and he can actually think he can be part of a ‘Big Three’ now?," the eight-time Grand Slam champion wondered.
Former World No.2 Alex Corretja too thinks that the maiden Grand Slam title will completely transform Zverev and could make tennis more interesting.
”I think it’s deserving because he has been so close many times but he couldn’t make it," Corretja said on TNT Sports. "This is so difficult to win and it’s normal to have nerves. I think he dealt very well with the situations and in the end he hung in there and now he has the big trophy. It’s an amazing achievement for him."
”He truly deserves it. We feel like has been playing enough good tennis to win a major and from now on it’s going to be totally different for him and I think it makes tennis more interesting with different winners.”
Zverev will now have his sights set on the Wimbledon where he was knocked out in the very first round last year.
The German star on Sunday became the first Major champion not named Sinner or Alcaraz since 2025. The top two of men's tennis had shared the last nine Grand Slams among them before the third-ranked Zverev finally broke the pattern.
Zverev won his first Grand Slam title by defeating Flavio Cobolli 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7, 6-1 in the final on Sunday. He thus became the first German to win a Major men's singles title since Boris Becker did it over three decades ago.
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Zverev had previously lost three Grand Slam finals including one in Paris. Former World No.1 Mats Wilander, who won his first major at the age of 17, said that the victory will give Zverev belief that he can win more.
”It makes it seem possible that you can win another one, that’s the first thought - ‘wow, I can do it, it wasn’t that hard’. During the match it’s hard, but when you win it you feel so confident and you think ‘I did it’," Wilander said on TNT Sports.
”That is actually what I felt, and then I lost the next one in the final, and then things changed completely. It will be interesting to see how Zverev takes this win. Is it such a relief that it will be hard for him to focus on the future or will the floodgates open and he can actually think he can be part of a ‘Big Three’ now?," the eight-time Grand Slam champion wondered.
Former World No.2 Alex Corretja too thinks that the maiden Grand Slam title will completely transform Zverev and could make tennis more interesting.
”I think it’s deserving because he has been so close many times but he couldn’t make it," Corretja said on TNT Sports. "This is so difficult to win and it’s normal to have nerves. I think he dealt very well with the situations and in the end he hung in there and now he has the big trophy. It’s an amazing achievement for him."
”He truly deserves it. We feel like has been playing enough good tennis to win a major and from now on it’s going to be totally different for him and I think it makes tennis more interesting with different winners.”
Zverev will now have his sights set on the Wimbledon where he was knocked out in the very first round last year.
