“I'm a Grand Slam champion and nobody can take that away from me”

Alexander Zverev arrived at the press conference hours after his triumph over Flavio Cobolli. After several television interviews, he celebrated with his team, then answered questions from print journalists. During this, he apologized for being a little tipsy from the drink and thought it was going to happen again, but was extremely coherent in his explanations.

The German revealed that he had cramps during the match, but that they were more mental than physical in nature. “I was very tense, very emotional and quite unstable in the fourth set. Paradoxically, the cramps helped me. They made me relax and let go of the built-up tension. I started to hit the ball more freely and take more risks. The deciding set went in my favor and I am extremely happy to stand next to this trophy for the first time.” said the one who had lost three Grand Slam finals until the triumph on the Parisian clay.

Last year was one of the most difficult times in my career. I was facing physical problems, I was not playing well and I was struggling with a lot of difficulties on the field. I started to find my form towards the end of the season in Vienna and this trophy now gives me enormous confidence – Alexander Zverev

Journalist Ubaldo Scanagatta, famous for his interactions with the world's greatest players, asked Zverev: “You once said you'd rather be 'the worst player to win a Grand Slam' than 'the best to never win one'. How do you see that statement now?”

Zverev replied: “Yes, I once said that I'd rather be the worst player to win a Grand Slam than the best to never do it. If someone thinks I'm the worst Grand Slam champion, I honestly don't care at all now. I'm a champion and nobody can take that away from me.”

I don't think this trophy belongs to me alone. It is the result of a family and team effort. I have been working with the same people for many years, and each of them has contributed to this moment. I think they all deserve this trophy as much as I do- Alexander Zverev.

For Germany, this trophy is very important. It is the first time a German has won the men's Roland Garros. In the women's category we had Steffi Graf, who has won here many times, but in the men's category it is a first. I am very proud of this – Alexander Zverev

Alexander Zverev: “I feel I can repeat the performance”

Looking to the future, Alexander Zverev believes that the victory in Paris can give him a relaxation that he could not afford until now. “Now, no matter what happens in the future, I will always remain a Grand Slam champion. Maybe this will give me more freedom and calmness in important moments. Even if I lose a final in the future, I will know that I have already managed to win one.”

This trophy is extremely important to me. If I had lost this final, my confidence would have suffered a lot. Now, after this win, I feel I can repeat the performance – Alexander Zverev

He was also asked what he was thinking as he lay on the clay after winning the final. “After the last ball, at first I didn't even realize that I had won. I looked towards my lodge and saw everyone celebrating. When I saw my father raise his arms, that's when I truly understood that I had succeeded. As I lay on the dirt, all the emotions came to the surface.

This land is very special to me. It has given me some of the most beautiful moments, but also some of the most painful. This is where I suffered the serious injury that I didn't know would ever allow me to come back. Here we also lost a Grand Slam final. All those memories are still there and will always be with me, but this win surpasses them all,” said Zverev, referring to the injury in 2022, when he tore ligaments in his right ankle and suffered multiple fractures in the semi-final against Rafael Nadal, but also in the 2024 final, losing to Carlos Alcaraz.

In the last two weeks I handled the pressure very well and stayed focused, even after the eliminations of Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic. But today I was more nervous and less consistent than in previous matches. I think it is something natural and human -Alexander Zverev

The German was also quizzed on one of his main weapons, which he used during the two weeks of the tournament: the serve. “On clay, accuracy is probably even more important than speed. In difficult moments I was able to rely on the serve when my ground game was not working at the desired level. It's a shot I've had trouble with in the past. I lost the final at the US Open mostly because of the serve. I put in a lot of work hours to improve it and I'm happy that today was one of the keys to my success,” he said.