Former World No.1 Rafael Nadal has opined that Alexander Zverev deserved to win a Grand Slam. Zverev finally broke his Slam hoodoo after going all the way at Roland Garros. The German defeated Italy’s Flavio Cobolli in a five-set contest at Court Philippe-Chatrier on Sunday to win his first Major on the tour.
Earlier, Zverev had failed to cross the final hurdle despite making it to three Slam finals. However, the lanky player was able to deliver after Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic were knocked out early at the French Open.
“We had faith in him,” Nadal said as quoted by MARCA. (translated from Spanish).
“I think he’s a player who, given his technical level, deserved to win a Grand Slam. “Years went by, and he still hadn’t achieved it.
“In this case, he had an opportunity, and he took full advantage of it.
“It’s a positive thing for tennis that someone like him, who has been chasing that dream for so many years, has been able to conquer a Grand Slam.”
After Zverev had won the French Open, Nadal also took to X, to congratulate the German player.
He wrote, “Congratulations, @AlexZverev on winning @rolandgarros
! 🏆 So well deserved after all the hard work and perseverance. You’ve been chasing your first Grand Slam for a long time, and you absolutely deserve it!
And congratulations to Flavio as well for a fantastic tournament! 👏🏻”
Meanwhile, Zverev lost the US Open 2020 final against Dominic Thiem despite having a two-sets-to-love lead. Furthermore, the German lost the 2024 French Open final against Carlos Alcaraz, once again he was leading by two sets to one. Zverev suffered a straight-set loss against Jannik Sinner in the 2025 Australian Open final.
