The pressure on Alexander Zverev’s shoulders has finally been removed.
Zverev secured his first Grand Slam title on Sunday, beating a dogged Flavio Cobolli in the French Open final.
The German star needed five sets to defeat the Italian, eventually triumphing 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7, 6-1 on Court Philippe Chatrier.
How many more Grand Slams does Alexander Zverev win now?
What a final!
Prior to Sunday’s final, Mats Wilander suggested that Zverev could go on to form a new ‘big three’ alongside Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, should he triumph in Paris.
Simply put, Wilander has got this one wrong.
Mats Wilander’s comments about Alexander Zverev are incorrect
“Jannik and Carlitos might want to be careful,” Wilander, a seven-time major champion, said in a column for French outlet L’Equipe ahead of Sunday’s showpiece.
“He (Zverev) is so strong and solid that if he’s able to integrate these changes and implement everything, with that serve on top of that, he’s going to be very difficult to beat.
“And we could soon start talking about a Big Three, where he would definitely have a place. If he wins this Sunday, it wouldn’t surprise me if he wins five or six more (Grand Slams).”
While Zverev’s triumph in Paris was certainly commendable, the victory does not in any way suggest that Zverev will be able to form a ‘big three’ alongside Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
First, Zverev has a terrible recent record against Jannik Sinner.
The German has lost his last nine matches against Sinner, dating back to August 2024.
Zverev’s record against Alcaraz is more positive – he has won three of his last six matches against the Spaniard.
However, Zverev has not won a Grand Slam match against either Sinner or Alcaraz since the 2024 Australian Open.
Since then, Sinner has defeated Zverev in the 2025 Australian Open final, and Alcaraz has beaten the German at major events in Melbourne and Paris.
| Year | Winner | Tournament | Round | Score |
| 2026 | Jannik Sinner | ATP Masters 1000 Madrid | Final | 6-1 6-2 |
| 2026 | Jannik Sinner | ATP Masters 1000 Monte-Carlo | Semifinal | 6-1 6-4 |
| 2026 | Jannik Sinner | ATP Masters 1000 Miami | Semifinal | 6-3 7-6 |
| 2026 | Jannik Sinner | ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells | Semifinal | 6-2 6-4 |
| 2025 | Jannik Sinner | Nitto ATP Finals | Round Robin | 6-4 6-3 |
| 2025 | Jannik Sinner | ATP Masters 1000 Paris | Semifinal | 6-0 6-1 |
| 2025 | Jannik Sinner | Vienna | Final | 3-6 6-3 7-5 |
| 2025 | Jannik Sinner | Australian Open | Final | 6-3 7-6 6-3 |
| 2024 | Jannik Sinner | ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati | Semifinal | 7-6 5-7 7-6 |
| 2023 | Alexander Zverev | US Open | Round of 16 | 6-4 3-6 6-2 4-6 6-3 |
| 2022 | Alexander Zverev | ATP Masters 1000 Monte-Carlo | Quarterfinal | 5-7 6-3 7-6 |
| 2021 | Alexander Zverev | US Open | Round of 16 | 6-4 6-4 7-6 |
| 2020 | Alexander Zverev | Cologne 2 | Semifinal | 7-6 6-3 |
| 2020 | Jannik Sinner | Roland Garros | Round of 16 | 6-3 6-3 4-6 6-3 |
What made the original ‘big three’ rivalry – Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic – so exciting was that all three players could defeat each other on any given day.
Zverev has not proven he can compete with Sinner and Alcaraz on the biggest stages and, despite his success in Paris, this seems unlikely to change in the future.
Alcaraz and Sinner are a level above anyone else on the Tour, including Zverev.
In summary, there is only a big two on the ATP Tour, and that is very likely to continue for the foreseeable future.
Alex Corretja reacts to Zverev’s triumph in Paris
”I think it’s deserving because he has been so close many times but he couldn’t make it,” Corretja, a former French Open finalist and world number two, said while on punditry duties for 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.
Who is now the best active ATP player without a Grand Slam title after Alexander Zverev’s French Open victory?
“We feel like he 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 turn his attention towards the grass-court swing.
The German is set to compete in three grass-court events this year: the Stuttgart Open, Halle Open, and Wimbledon.
If Zverev performs well at these events, he could overtake Carlos Alcaraz in the ATP rankings.
