Alexander Zverev could win his first Grand Slam title at the 2026 French Open.
After years of heartbreak, Zverev may finally get his hands on one of the sport’s four biggest prizes.
Who will win the 2026 French Open final – Alexander Zverev or Flavio Cobolli?
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But will there be an asterisk to his win?
Quite possibly, as the German hasn’t exactly beaten the world’s best in Paris.
Alexander Zverev’s French Open win would be the fourth easiest of the last 50 Grand Slams
Even if Zverev beats Cobolli in the French Open final, he won’t have taken down a single top-10 player en route to the title.
Alexander Zverev’s potential route to the French Open title
| Round | Opponent | Opponent’s rank | Score |
| 1R | Benjamin Bonzi | 95th | 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 |
| 2R | Tomas Machac | 43rd | 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 |
| 3R | Quentin Halys | 90th | 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 |
| 4R | Jesper De Jong | 106th | 7-6, 6-4, 6-1 |
| QF | Rafael Jodar | 29th | 7-6, 6-1, 6-3 |
| SF | Jakub Mensik | 27th | 7-5, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 |
| F | Flavio Cobolli | 14th | – |
The average rank of Zverev’s opponents was 57.
But how does that compare to other Grand Slam-winning campaigns?
We analysed the last 50 Grand Slam men’s singles championship campaigns to find out.
To avoid outlier rankings from qualifiers and lucky losers, we calculated the average ranks of the champions’ opponents from the second round to the final.
Top five easiest Grand Slam-winning campaigns from the last 50
- 1. Rafael Nadal (2020 French Open) – 102
- 2. Stan Wawrinka (2016 US Open) – 87
- 3. Rafael Nadal (2017 US Open) – 60
- 4. Alexander Zverev (2026 French Open) – 52
- 5. Novak Djokovic (2021 Wimbledon) – 51
If Zverev wins the title on Sunday, his path to victory would be the fourth easiest of the last 50 Grand Slams.
The only easier Grand Slam wins were Rafael Nadal’s 2017 US Open and 2020 French Open triumphs, and Stan Wawrinka’s 2016 US Open win.
Looking at the easiest Grand Slam campaign of the last 50, you can understand how Nadal won the title without dropping a set.
Rafael Nadal’s route to the 2020 French Open title
| Round | Opponent | Opponent’s rank | Score |
| 1R | Egor Gerasimov | 83rd | 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 |
| 2R | Mackenzie McDonald | 236th | 6-1, 6-0, 6-3 |
| 3R | Stefano Travaglia | 74th | 6-1, 6-4, 6-0 |
| 4R | Sebastian Korda | 213th | 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 |
| QF | Jannik Sinner | 75th | 7-6, 6-4, 6-1 |
| SF | Diego Schwartzman | 14th | 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 |
| F | Novak Djokovic | 1st | 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 |
To compare difficulty, the following five were the trickiest Grand Slam wins by ranking.
Top five hardest Grand Slam-winning campaigns from the last 50
- 1. Novak Djokovic (2015 US Open) – 22
- 2. Carlos Alcaraz (2024 Wimbledon) – 22
- 3. Stan Wawrinka (2014 Australian Open) – 24
- 4. Roger Federer (2017 Wimbledon) – 25
- 5. Stan Wawrinka (2015 French Open) – 26
Novak Djokovic’s 2015 US Open win was statistically the most difficult in years, facing opponents with an average ranking of 22nd from the second round to the final.
Novak Djokovic’s route to the 2015 US Open
| Round | Opponent | Opponent’s rank | Score |
| 1R | Joao Souza | 91st | 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 |
| 2R | Andreas Haider Maurer | 52nd | 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 |
| 3R | Andreas Seppi | 25th | 6-3, 7-5, 7-5 |
| 4R | Roberto Bautista Agut | 23rd | 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 |
| QF | Feliciano Lopez | 19th | 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 |
| SF | Marin Cilic | 9th | 6-0, 6-1, 6-2 |
| F | Roger Federer | 2nd | 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 |
The reality is that you can only beat the opponents in front of you, but it’s certainly food for thought.
Not only has Zverev benefited from Carlos Alcaraz’s withdrawal and the early exits of Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic, but his other opponents have been lower-ranked than you would expect.
Still, he won’t care, as long as he wins the title…
Mark Woodforde previews the 2026 French Open men’s singles final
During BBC Radio 5 Live’s French Open coverage, Grand Slam doubles legend Mark Woodforde was asked if he had been ‘convinced’ by Zverev in Paris following his semi-final win.
“Yes [I was convinced], that was such a bright display of tennis,” he said.
How impressed have you been by Alexander Zverev at Roland Garros?
He's into another French Open final…
“I think there are indicators very early on in the tournament, as well; there’s been that spotlight placed upon Zverev, without having Alcaraz in the tournament. So it was a matter of being on the other half of the draw from Sinner, but we lost Sinner so early in the tournament. Djokovic went out relatively early. So he’s had to shoulder the responsibility since early on, and he has stepped up.
“We’ve seen these slight waivers, but they have been so minimal.
“He hasn’t allowed them to infiltrate his psyche for long periods of time, and this was only the second set of tennis that he has lost getting to the final of this year’s tournament, so really, really solid.”
Woodforde continued, delivering his verdict on Zverev’s opponent, Cobolli.
“Flavio Cobolli, I think, does provide something,” he said.
“He has that ability to play at a high level. It’s the way he holds himself on the court, but he has those lapses.
“I think when you come into a Grand Slam final, if you have those lapses, we’ve seen it with Zverev, when he’s been in these finals previously… There is a possibility that Cobolli could play at an extremely high level, but I don’t know if he can maintain it for the five-set format.”
Cobolli will play Zverev in the French Open men’s singles final on Sunday, June 7.
