Roland Garros: Alexander Zverev hits out at former player as British No 1 gives his verdict
Alexander Zverev didn’t hold back as he got in some verbal jabs on former Grand Slam semi-finalist player Sam Querrey during his media interviews after he won his first Grand Slam title.
Zverev just about managed to hold his nerve to finally end his long wait for a Grand Slam title, as he beat Italy’s Flavio Cobolli 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-1 in a match that swing in several directions before the final blow was landed.
The relief was palpable for Zverez and when he did a post-match interview with TNT Sports, he didn’t seem to be impressed by the presence of former Wimbledon semi-finalist Querrey on their panel.
“Sam who? Why are you on this channel?” bellowed Zverev while holding the French Open trophy. “You got all champions, and then you’ve got Sam Querrey.”
He backed that up by saying: “First of all, I’m very happy I’m holding this (trophy) because you said I never will so thank you for your confidence.”
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Zverev then insisted he and Querrey had a ‘love-hate’ relationship as they moved on with the interview in what was a pretty awkward moment for the former US Davis Cup player.
The comments were flowing following Zverev’s breakthrough Grand Slam title, with former British No 1 Greg Rusedski suggesting this first win for Zverev could be the first of many Grand Slam titles.
“He got over the hump. That’s the most important thing,” Rusedski said on his podcast.
“Coming into the French Open, nobody was talking really about him winning. Everybody thought Sinner, Sinner, Sinner. But once he fell out of the draw, Zverev was the man to beat.
“And he handled the pressure, handled the expectation. So absolutely delighted for him.
“The nearly man has finally done it. Sasha Zverev, the man we’ve been talking about since 17 or 18 years of age, being the heir apparent to (Roger) Federer, (Rafael) Nadal and (Novak) Djokovic. He was the one who was touted as the next one and it’s taken him so long to finally get his first major.”
Sascha Zverev was giving @SamQuerrey a hard time during their post-match chat 😅🤣
Sascha Zverev was giving @SamQuerrey a hard time during their post-match chat 😅🤣
“Why are you here?” 💀 pic.twitter.com/bhnkcabjP4
— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) June 7, 2026
Zverev’s win in Paris comes after he served for the match in the Australian Open semi-finals against Carlos Alcaraz in January, only to lose that match and add to his reputation as a player who blinks when the big moment arrives.
Now Rusedski thinks his mindset could change, as he saluted the player who battles an ongoing health issue to challenge at the top of the game.
“He will never have more pressure on him in this lifetime than this French Open. Once Sinner dropped out of the draw, everybody said Zverev should win,” he added.
“And let’s not forget, he’s diabetic. So he’s dealing with diabetes, which he has to balance his blood sugar out. We saw that in the final set, having to take some sort of medicine or something or some sort of electrolytes or nutrition to keep himself going.
“He has come through so much and now he can relax. He can go after it. For me, Wimbledon, does he have a shot to win? I still think that’s not the best surface for him, but I feel like once you get to the US Open.
“You can kind of put him in the mix now with Sinner and we don’t know where Alcaraz is gonna be, if he’s gonna be back or not, but delighted for Zverev. No more question marks. You’re a Grand slam Champion, deservedly so.”
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