Novak Djokovic sends heartfelt message to Alexander Zverev after his Roland Garros victory
At long last, Alexander Zverev broke through on Grand Slam level by lifting the Roland Garros trophy after defeating Flavio Cobolli in the final.
Zverev was the overwhelming favourite to win the title following the early exits of Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic, but he was made to work for his first-ever Grand Slam title.
The German and Cobolli battled it out over five sets in the Paris final, with Zverev earning a decisive 6-1 victory in the deciding set.
The 2026 Roland Garros final was Zverev’s fourth attempt to claim his maiden major and the tennis world has come together to celebrate his achievement.
Carlos Alcaraz saluted Alexander Zverev and Djokovic has now joined in on the action with an emotional post on social media.
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Taking to Instagram, the 24-time Grand Slam champion wrote: “Sasha, I have known you since you were 10 years old. You were battling on the practice courts with my youngest brother while I was competing against your older brother, Mischa, on the big stage in both junior and pro circuit.
“I’ve nurtured a respectful and friendly relationship with your entire family for many years. We had countless conversations on tennis tactics, strategic plays, life, family, business. We had fun time on and off the court.
“Knowing what you had to endure with your illness since the young age, overcoming the greatest mental hurdle within yourself and shutting down critics who thought you would never win GS, makes this Grand Slam win even more special and memorable.
“Seeing the tears of joy you had together with your parents, brother and other team members made me emotional. I’m happy that you made it and you absolutely deserve this success because you have worked so hard on every front to make it happen. Enjoy it and well done brother.”
Zverev and Djokovic have an incredible joint history on the ATP Tour, having met several times over the years since their first meeting in the Italian Open final in 2017.
The pair have played 16 matches against each other, with Djokovic leading their head-to-head with nine victories. Their most recent meeting came at Roland Garros in 2025, which the Serbian won in four sets.
Zverev’s high-profile victories against Djokovic have come at the ATP Finals and the Tokyo Olympics, the latter of which saw the German defeat the Serbian en route to claiming the Olympic Gold Medal.
Djokovic, meanwhile, has knocked Zverev out of the latter stages of four different Grand Slams. The only major the pair have not played a match is Wimbledon.
