Rafael Nadal won the first of his 14 French Open titles just three days after his 19th birthday. Alexander Zverev, though, didn’t enjoy such success as a teenager, and instead finally captured his first major title at the age of 29 years and 48 days when he beat Flavio Cobolli at Roland Garros on Sunday.
As such, Nadal realizes how hard Zverev has had to work to get the “major” monkey off his back — finally. After the German’s maiden French Open win, Nadal sent a heartfelt message to his former peer, whom he faced 11 times before retiring in 2024.
“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!” the retired legend wrote on X.
And congratulations to Flavio as well for a fantastic tournament! 👏🏻
Incidentally, Nadal’s last-ever Grand Slam match took place against Zverev at the 2024 French Open, where he fell to the German in straight sets.
Sports World Reacts to Zverev’s Win
Elsewhere, World No.2 Carlos Alcaraz and others also sent congratulatory messages to Zverev on capturing the 2026 French Open title, via ATP Tour.
“Congratulations Sascha for the title!🏆,” Alcaraz wrote in an Instagram Story. “You deserve it @alexzverev123.”
12-time Grand Slam champion Billie Jean King highlighted that Zverev became the first player ever to win a major while battling Type 1 diabetes.
“Congratulations to @AlexZverev on his very first Grand Slam Singles title! He is also the first man with Type 1 Diabetes to win a major. What a victory for everyone living with this disease.”
German football legend Thomas Müller and former F1 World Champion Nico Hulkenberg also congratulated Zverev on his landmark victory.
“Congratulations, Sascha!! 👏😁,” Muller posted on X.
“You did it!!! Congrats @alexzverev123🏆,” Hulkenberg posted on his Instagram Story.
Elsewhere, Rod Laver commended both Zverev and Cobolli for producing a thrilling five-set French Open final.
“Roland Garros finishes with a great final between two players who gave everything out there,” the Australian icon wrote on X.
“Well done Zverev, a deserving champion. Cobolli showed real fight throughout the match and will surely have his moment soon enough. Good luck to both on the grass!”
Alexander Zverev Finally Wins Big One
While he benefited from the early exits of Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic — not to mention the injury withdrawal of Carlos Alcaraz — Zverev made it clear on Sunday that nobody can discredit him and will have to refer to him as a “Grand Slam champion” for the rest of his career.
“Now no matter what happens, I will always be a Grand Slam champion, and nobody can take that away from me,” he said on Sunday.
“Maybe that does give me some freedom. Maybe my mind will just be a little bit calmer when I play in a final, meaning even if I lose it, I will still be a Grand Slam champion.
“…In my scenario, it really is a family effort and a team effort,” Zverev added.
Zverev made history on several counts, including becoming the player who needed the most Grand Slam match wins (125) before finally capturing a title.
Rafael Nadal Sends Heartfelt Message to Alexander Zverev After French Open Win