India legend Sachin Tendulkar lauded Alexander Zverev after he ended his long drought of a Grand Slam title by winning the French Open 2026. Zverev has
been one of the most consistent performers in the men's circuit and has almost always reached the top four; however, he mostly bumped into Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner, two players who are tough to beat for anyone. The French Open 2026 was a rare event where neither Sinner nor Alcaraz played the final. Alcaraz pulled out of the tournament due to a wrist injury, and Sinner lost to Juan Cerundolo in the second round, leaving Zverev as the hot favourite to win the title. The German played ruthless tennis en route to the final, where he defeated Italian Flavio Cobolli, who made it to the final for the first time, in a five-set thriller. Tendulkar was all praise for Zverev, and also had great things to say for Cobolli. "Sometimes tennis can take a long time to give back what players keep putting in. Good to see Alexander Zverev win his first Grand Slam at Roland-Garros today. Always felt he was a special player! Credit to Flavio Cobolli for the way he competed today as well. Both players gave everything to the game," wrote Tendulkar on X.
Sometimes tennis can take a long time to give back what players keep putting in. Good to see Alexander Zverev win his first Grand Slam at Roland-Garros today. Always felt he was a special player!
Credit to Flavio Cobolli for the way he competed today as well. Both players gave…— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) June 7, 2026
A Sea-Saw Battle
Zverev was the favourite heading into the contest, but he had a history of choking in Slam finals, having lost all three finals before. On Sunday, however, Zverev showed great mental strength to stun Cobolli. The match wasn't straightforward by any means, as Cobolli kept clawing back every time he had his back against the wall. Zverev, however, eventually won the game 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6, 6-1.For Zverev, it was a dream-come-true moment. “I’ve had the best moment of my life on this court; I’ve had the worst moment of my life on these courts. I was lying in that corner over there four years ago with seven broken ligaments and two fractured bones; I lost a grand slam final here two years ago, but now, finally, it’s a happy end. I really felt like the crowd was pushing me throughout the entire two weeks, and without you guys I definitely would not have won the tournament, so thank you very much," he said.
