The 2026 French Open came to an end after the grueling fortnight in Paris, and Alexander Zverev had the last laugh. He picked up the trophy after a battle that lasted over 4 hours against Flavio Cobolli. Cobolli, even though he lost, showed his class, as he did not let the bitterness of the loss cloud his judgment.

“It’s not easy for me to talk right now, but I wanna start with you, Alex. If someone asked me who deserved this title more, I would always say you,” said an emotional Cobolli during his speech. The Italian and the German are great friends off the court as well, which showed in the Italian’s emotions even after the loss. “It’s been an honor for our relationship to share the court with you today. I’m happy for you.”

The match was a battle of nerves for the Italian player, who struggled to get started, losing the first set 1-6. However, the Italian player raised his level, fitting of a Grand Slam final, hitting winners and charging the crowd when required to turn the match into a slugfest, where the German player had to snatch it away from the Italian’s grasp.

Even though he played with his heart out, the intensity caught up to Cobolli, as he missed crucial shots in the fifth set, to give the advantage away.

Cobolli’s surge at the French Open showed that Italian tennis is not solely dependent on Jannik Sinner’s exploits on Tour, but also has others to fall back on, with the Roland Garros runner-up all set to join the Top 10 on the ATP Rankings.

Flavio Cobolli Makes His Top-10 Debut After French Open Win

Joining his compatriots like Jannik Sinner, Lorenzo Musetti, Matteo Berrettini, and Fabio Fognini, Flavio Cobolli became the seventh Italian man to break through in the Top 10 on the ATP rankings. Coincidentally, the first man to achieve this feat was Adriano Panatta in 1976, who was present in the final on Sunday in Paris and handed the trophy to Zverev. Panatta won at Roland Garros 50 years ago and achieved the unique feat of being the only player to defeat Bjorn Borg at the Paris Major.

Having finished the French Open, Cobolli’s record on the dirt is 14-6 for the season, which also includes the runner-up finish in Munich and the quarterfinal run in Madrid. His run in Paris saw him earn a whopping 1200 points and move up by four spots on the rankings, currently sitting on No.10. However, what was more significant for the Italian at Roland Garros this year was his mentality to stand up under the spotlight. In the final, he could have easily folded after losing the first set one-sided, but the fight he showed is a sign of better things to come in the future for the Italian.

With the grass court season incoming, Cobolli will be keen to hold on to his position in the Top-10, even though the Italian’s record on grass is not awe-inspiring. However, he did reach the quarterfinals at Wimbledon last year, where he pushed the likes of Novak Djokovic in four sets. With his explosive play and raw athleticism, the Italian has all the tools to succeed on all surfaces. Provided he makes some adjustments to his serve, he will be one of the bright spots in the men’s draw at the All England Lawn Tennis Club.