The French Open quietly opened a door that had so often stayed shut for Alexander Zverev. The German had stood on the brink of a Grand Slam three times before, each run ending in heartbreak and the lingering doubt that he was “just not good enough.” This time, though, the chaos of the draw met a player who refused to let the moment slip again. The opportunity arrived, but it still demanded belief.

“I pretended until I was exhausted,” he said in an interview with Sky Germany. “Now I can also be honest. I lied to myself, for my own good. When Sinner lost, I didn’t sleep that night.”

Things only got tougher for Zverev the following day. While he managed to get past Quentin Halys in the third round, Novak Djokovic was not as fortunate. The Serbian suffered a shock exit, falling to 19-year-old Joao Fonseca in a dramatic five-set battle.

“The next day, fortunately, I only played in the evening against Quentin Halys, and I was able to sleep all day. But what happens during the day? Djokovic loses,” he added.

The upsets just never stopped coming at the French Open, and the majority of the top 10 players got knocked out within the first three rounds. This included the likes of Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, Daniil Medvedev, and Alex de Minaur as well. Zverev, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Flavio Cobolli were the only players from the bracket to reach the later stages of the Grand Slam.

Seeing the massive number of upsets, it didn’t take long for people to label Zverev as the favorite to win the tournament. As a result, even more pressure piled up on the German as it appeared that he wouldn’t get a better opportunity to win his maiden Grand Slam. Having previously lost three major finals, the 29-year-old was determined to get rid of the “Best Player Without a Grand Slam” tag. Zverev didn’t let the tension affect his performance as he didn’t drop a set in either the R16 or the quarterfinals.

The World No. 3 then faced a stern test against Jakub Mensik in the semifinals, with the young Czech pushing him throughout the contest. The World No. 3 took control early by winning the first two sets, but Mensik responded strongly to force a fourth. Even so, Zverev regained his grip on the match and closed it out in four sets, 7-5, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.

Zverev’s biggest test of the tournament undoubtedly came in the final against Flavio Cobolli. The match went into five sets as both players gave it their all on the court. Despite coming back from a set down on two occasions, Cobolli’s resilience faded in the final set as Zverev triumphed 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7, 6-1.

The German had to work incredibly hard for the French Open title, but eventually got there, and he couldn’t have asked for anything more. He achieved his lifelong dream by winning one of the most grueling matches of his career. While it may look like the final was Zverev’s toughest clash of the tournament, the truth is actually quite different.

Alexander Zverev opens up on his ‘worst’ match at the French Open

Turns out that the third-round clash against Halys was the grittiest battle that Zverev had to encounter. The German was under a lot of stress during the week, and that took a toll on his performance.

Moreover, the match had even been delayed by an hour after Fonseca had dragged his match against Djokovic to five sets. So, Zverev stepped on Court Philippe-Chatrier, knowing that another top seed had faced an upset.

“The worst match I played at Roland Garros was definitely the one against Halys. I wasn’t free, I didn’t play well, and I didn’t serve well. It was the most stressful week of my life. Suddenly, I became the huge favorite of the tournament, something that had never happened to me in a Slam,” he further said.

Though Zverev did win the match 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 6-2, he was far from satisfied with his display. Fortunately, he regained his composure in the next match and never looked back from that point.