The match appeared to be slipping away from Zverev late in the fourth set. After battling through physical issues, he lost the tiebreak to Cobolli and looked visibly affected by cramps heading into the decisive fifth set.

Yet moments after lifting the trophy in Paris, Zverev delivered one of the most surprising explanations imaginable for his victory during an interview with TNT Sports. “I won because of cramps.”

What happened to Alexander Zverev at Roland Garros?

According to Alexander Zverev, the cramps actually helped him mentally during the most important moments of the match. The German explained that Cobolli’s decision to take a bathroom break between the fourth and fifth sets also gave him more than five minutes to recover physically. That unexpected pause allowed him to regain enough strength to continue competing at a high level.

More importantly, Zverev said the cramps removed the pressure he had been carrying throughout the match. Instead of worrying about winning his first Grand Slam title, his focus shifted entirely toward simply getting through each point. That mental change proved decisive as he regained control in the fifth set and completed one of the biggest victories of his career.

After years of near misses at major tournaments, Zverev finally broke through in Paris. And according to the new Roland Garros champion, an unlikely combination of cramps, a timely break, and a change in mindset helped make the moment possible.

Jannik Sinner struggled with dizziness and was beaten by 56th-ranked Juan Manuel Cerundolo 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1 after wasting two chances to serve for the match. On Novak Djokovic‘s side, he was defeated by Joao Fonseca, who became the first teenager to beat Djokovic at a Grand Slam. He did it with power, poise, and from two sets down, winning 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 7-5.

With these results and the recent victory of Alexander Zverev, the fourth-round matchups are nearly set. Zverev will face Jesper de Jong, and Joao Fonseca will go up against Casper Ruud. Sinner’s conqueror is the only one left to play, as Juan Manuel Cerundolo will face Martin Landaluce in search of his ticket to the fourth round.

Updated bracket

The defeats of Novak Djokovic, who spoke about his retirement, and Jannik Sinner, who made no excuses regarding the schedule, surely position Alexander Zverev as one of the ultimate favorites to take home the Grand Slam. Here is how the bracket looks for the remainder of this great French Open:

Third Round (May 29-30)

• Juan Manuel Cerundulo vs. Martin Landaluce
• Matteo Berrettini vs. Francisco Comesana
• (19) Francis Tiafoe vs. Jaime Faria
• Raphael Collignon vs. Matteo Arnaldi
• (4) Felix Auger-Aliassime vs. (31) Brandon Nakashima
• Moise Kouame vs. Alejandro Tabilo
• (10) Flavio Cobolli vs. (18) Learner Tien
• (25) Francisco Cerundolo vs. Zachary Svajda

Round of 16 (May 31-June 1)

• (11) Andrey Rublev vs. (26) Jakub Mensik
• (28) Joao Fonseca vs. (15) Casper Ruud
• Pablo Carrena Busta vs. (27) Rafael Jodar
• Jesper de Jong vs. (2) Alexander Zverev

Remaining dates

The scheduled dates for the upcoming rounds of the Roland Garros are set for the following days, with the Quarterfinals taking place on June 2-3, the Semifinals on June 5, and the final on June 7. There are still many interesting players to watch, though the tournament feels a bit strange without the main protagonists present.

[Watch Jannik Sinner vs Alexander Zverev live in the USA on Fubo]

All eyes turn to the 2026 Madrid Open final as number one Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev square off in a marquee showdown expected to deliver high-level drama.

Sinner enters as the favorite after a dominant 6-2, 6-4 semifinal win over Arthur Fils, while Zverev battled past Alexander Blockx 6-2, 7-5 and now looks to pull off an upset against one of the hottest players on tour.

When will the Jannik Sinner vs Alexander Zverev match be played?

Jannik Sinner faces Alexander Zverev in the Madrid Open 2026 Final this Sunday, May 3. The action will start at 11:00 AM (ET).

Jannik Sinner vs Alexander Zverev: Time by State in the USA

ET: 11:00 AM
CT: 10:00 AM
MT: 9:00 AM
PT: 8:00 AM

How to watch Jannik Sinner vs Alexander Zverev in the USA

Don’t miss this electrifying 2026 Madrid Open clash between Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev live on Fubo. Other options: Tennis Channel.

The current record stands at four consecutive Masters 1000 trophies, a feat Sinner currently shares with Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. The Serbian legend achieved this on three separate occasions, while the Spaniard reached the mark in 2013.

The World No. 1 joined this elite company by sweeping the first three Masters 1000 tournaments of this season, following a win in the final one of 2025. His current streak includes titles in Paris (2025), Indian Wells, Miami, and Monte-Carlo (2026).

Sinner nearing Career Golden Masters

Should he lift the trophy in Madrid, Sinner will also move one step closer to becoming just the second player in history to complete the Career Golden Masters—winning all nine Masters 1000 tournaments at least once.

If he defeats Zverev, the Italian would only need a victory at the Rome Masters to join Djokovic as the only players to achieve this feat. The Serbian legend first completed the set in 2018 and incredibly repeated the achievement in 2022.

Sinner’s dominance in the ATP Rankings

The World No. 1 is also in a prime position to extend his lead over Carlos Alcaraz in the ATP Rankings. Entering Madrid with no points to defend, Sinner knew he could only gain ground with zero risk of losing points.

By reaching the final, he has already secured 650 points, which could rise to 1,000 with a victory on Sunday. Furthermore, with Alcaraz sidelined for the upcoming Rome Masters and Roland Garros due to injury, Sinner is poised to vastly increase the numerical cushion between himself and his Spanish rival.

By defeating Cobolli, Zverev became only the fourth man to reach the semifinals at each of the first four Masters 1000 events of the season (Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, and Madrid) since the series began in 1990. He joins an elite list featuring Federer (2006), Nadal (2010, 2011), and Sinner (2026). “It’s amazing but, of course, I need to get past this stage now,” Zverev said with a smile during his on-court interview.

While he reached the semifinals in the three previous Masters events this year, he fell to Sinner on all three occasions. Fortunately for the German, the World No.1 is on the opposite side of the bracket this time; Zverev will face Alexander Blockx, who is coming off an upset win over reigning champion Casper Ruud.

Zverev gets redemption against Cobolli

The victory was particularly sweet as it came just two weeks after Cobolli defeated Zverev in the Munich Open final (6-3, 6-3). While the loss in Munich cost Zverev a title on home soil, the story was different in Madrid.

“No revenge. I love Flavio. He’s one of my favorite guys on Tour,” Zverev told the ATP Tour website. “I have a great relationship with him and a great relationship with his father. This is sport… Sports can change very quickly. In Munich, he played an amazing match and I didn’t play a very good match. Today, it was maybe the opposite”.

A new German milestone on clay

Beyond the tournament bracket, the win was historic for German tennis. With his victory over Cobolli, Zverev now records 179 career wins on clay. This breaks his tie with Philipp Kohlschreiber (178), making Zverev the German player with the most wins on this surface in the Open Era.

Following his first-round win over Daniel Altmaier at the Shanghai Masters, Sinner was asked about Zverev’s remarks and made it clear that neither he nor Alcaraz have anything to do with how courts are set up.

“You know, me and Carlos, we don’t make the courts. It’s not our decision,” Sinner said. “We try to adapt ourselves in every situation. I feel like every week is still a bit different. I’ve played some great tennis even on faster courts. But I’m not making the courts, you know, so I just try to adapt and play my best tennis, and that’s it”.

The debate was first sparked by Roger Federer, who, during an appearance on Andy Roddick’s Served podcast, suggested that tournament organizers might be tailoring court conditions to favor Alcaraz and Sinner. Federer also compared the current era to his own, pointing out that surface speeds used to vary significantly, whereas now they all feel much more similar.

Federer’s take on court surfaces

Federer voiced his concerns about the situation, pointing out that in his era, the contrasts between surfaces were far more distinct, which required players to adjust their game styles accordingly. He implied that tournament organizers today would rather see Alcaraz and Sinner reach the finals, tailoring court conditions to suit their strengths.

“The tournament directors think: ‘I prefer to have Sinner and Alcaraz in the final.’ In a way, it works for tennis,” Federer told Roddick. “In my era, only about 12 tournaments really mattered, so everyone played on their favorite surface, and sometimes we didn’t face each other — those were the best matches: attacker versus counterpuncher”.

“Now, however, everyone plays in a similar way, and that’s because tournament directors have allowed the ball and court speeds to make every week practically the same. We’d love to see Alcaraz or Sinner on super-fast courts and then on super-slow courts to really see the difference,” he added.

A few days ago, Roger Federer commented on the Served with Andy Roddick podcast that “the tournament directors have allowed the ball speed and the court speed that every week is basically the same.” The Swiss legend pointed out that this setup allows players to win across different surfaces with a similar style of play — something that wasn’t possible during his era, when court speeds varied significantly.

Against this backdrop, Zverev said he believes tournament directors have made these adjustments because they want Alcaraz and Sinner to reach the finals, giving them an advantage by maintaining conditions that suit their games.

“I hate that court speeds are the same in all tournaments. I know that the directors of all major events are moving in that direction because they want Jannik and Carlos to perform well and potentially reach the final,” Zverev said after his win over Valentine Royer at the Shanghai Masters.

The German added that today’s tennis lacks the surface-specific diversity it once had. “You couldn’t play the same tennis the same way on grass, hard, or clay courts. Nowadays, you can play almost the same way on every surface. I don’t like it, I’m not a fan of it. I think tennis needs game styles, tennis needs a little bit of variety, and I think we’re lacking that right now,” Zverev added.

What did Federer say?

Federer was also critical of the issue, noting that during his era, the differences between surfaces were much more pronounced, forcing players to adapt their styles accordingly. He suggested that tournament directors today prefer to see Alcaraz and Sinner in the finals, so they set up conditions that favor them.

“The tournament directors think: ‘I prefer to have Sinner and Alcaraz in the final.’ In a way, it works for tennis,” Federer told Roddick on the American’s podcast. “In my era, only about 12 tournaments really mattered, so everyone played on their favorite surface, and sometimes we didn’t face each other — those were the best matches: attacker versus counterpuncher”.

“Now, however, everyone plays in a similar way, and that’s because tournament directors have allowed the ball and court speeds to make every week practically the same. We’d love to see Alcaraz or Sinner on super-fast courts and then on super-slow courts to really see the difference,” he added.

The last eight Grand Slams have been split between Alcaraz and Sinner, highlighted by this year’s French Open final, a record-setting marathon that lasted five hours and 29 minutes — the longest championship match in tournament history.

Speaking before his Laver Cup debut, Zverev pointed to that showdown as proof of a new level of tennis. “I mean, look, the French Open final, yes, I think it was a tennis match that, in many ways, we have never seen before, just from the speed,” Zverev said.

“The way tennis has been played, yes, we’ve had great champions in the last 15 years and great matches with Rafa, Roger, Novak. There were some tennis matches there that will be remembered for the rest of our lives, but the way tennis has been played in this French Open final was something that we’ve never seen before,” he added.

The record length wasn’t the only storyline. Sinner came within a single point of his first French Open title, holding three championship points with a 2-1 set lead. But Alcaraz mounted a dramatic comeback, turning the match around to capture his fifth Grand Slam crown.

Alcaraz on the French Open final

Speaking at a Team World press conference ahead of the Laver Cup, Carlos Alcaraz said self-belief was the key to turning around such a difficult situation in Paris.

“For me, I remember the feeling I had in that match — I was playing great until I faced match points,” Alcaraz said. “I felt like it was about the tennis, about the score. I believed the whole time that I could come back, that I could win that match, and I think that’s the most important thing from my perspective”.

The 2025 French Open final is already etched in the history books and will be remembered as one of the matches that ushered in the new era of Alcaraz vs. Jannik Sinner — just as Roger Federer claimed.

Born in Johannesburg in 1986, Anderson picked up a tennis racket at the age of six while also competing in track and field. By the time he turned pro in 2007, his rise was rapid. Within four years, he had cracked the top 50, and by 2015, he was entrenched inside the world’s top 10.

His game revolved around a thunderous serve and a knack for disrupting opponents on hard courts and grass. Few knew this better than Tomas Berdych and Stan Wawrinka, two of his most frequent rivals, who had to endure 12 and nine career matchups against him, respectively.

But just as Anderson seemed poised to cement his place among the elite, his body began to betray him. In 2016, injuries dropped him to No. 74 in the rankings. At Roland Garros in 2017, he was forced to retire mid-match due to exhaustion — a low point that could have derailed his career for good.

Instead, it became a turning point. Later that season, he reached his first Grand Slam final at the U.S. Open, falling to Rafael Nadal but proving he belonged on the game’s biggest stages.

2018: The defining season

Anderson’s career-defining run came in 2018. He captured two titles, surged into the top 5, and reached the Wimbledon final after producing some of the most memorable matches in tournament history.

First, he survived a marathon against John Isner that lasted 6 hours and 36 minutes — the second-longest match in Wimbledon history — ending 26-24 in the fifth set. Just days earlier, he had stunned Roger Federer in the quarterfinals, rallying to win 13-11 in the fifth.

It was his only career victory over Federer, and it came with monumental significance: Federer never won Wimbledon again, with his 2017 triumph standing as his last at the All England Club.

That summer cemented Anderson’s place in tennis lore, but the physical toll was immense. Soon after, his body began to break down again. Multiple knee surgeries, compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, kept him from finding consistent form. By 2022, at age 35, Anderson decided it was time to walk away.

In an emotional letter announcing his retirement, he wrote: “There were so many people who helped me along the way, and believed that a kid from South Africa could fulfill his dreams”. Anderson finished his career with seven ATP titles and two Grand Slam final appearances. His last match came in Miami in 2022, a loss to Argentina’s Juan Manuel Cerúndolo.

Life beyond tennis: courses, guitars, and donations

Off the court, Anderson always showed diverse interests. During his 2016 injury struggles, he launched a tennis instruction website. He also famously brought his guitar along on tour, once even strumming during a physiotherapy session.

But his most surprising off-court moment came in 2024. No longer an active player, Anderson and his wife donated a fortune to a crowdfunding campaign organized by journalist Ben Rothenberg. The initiative aimed to cover legal costs in Rothenberg’s defense against a defamation lawsuit filed by Alexander Zverev, who had been accused of domestic abuse by former partner Olga Sharypova.

Following his surprising exit from the US Open at the hands of Jan-Lennard Struff, Rune said Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev are the most likely candidates to prevent another Sinner-Alcaraz showdown in New York.

“It’s just hard to win Grand Slam tournaments,” Rune admitted in his press conference. “Now it will probably be another final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Apart from them, it is probably only Novak Djokovic or Alexander Zverev who can win”.

The numbers back up Rune’s claim. Alcaraz has collected titles at Roland Garros (2024, 2025) and Wimbledon (2024), while Sinner has won the Australian Open in 2024 and 2025, the 2024 US Open, and most recently Wimbledon in 2025, defeating Alcaraz in the final.

As the season’s final Slam progresses, both top-ranked players continue to march forward. Sinner advanced to the Round of 16 after a four-set win over Denis Shapovalov and will next face the winner of Tommy Paul vs Alexander Bublik. Alcaraz also booked a spot in the Round of 16 with a victory over Luciano Darderi and will meet France’s Arthur Rinderknech.

Djokovic and Zverev’s US Open path

The players highlighted by Rune as potential challengers to Sinner and Alcaraz remain firmly in contention at the US Open. Djokovic continues his pursuit of a record 25th Grand Slam title and is set to face Jan-Lennard Struff in the Round of 16.

Zverev, meanwhile, finds himself in a very different position from the Serbian star but with a clear goal of his own: to capture the first Grand Slam title of his career. The German faces a difficult test tonight against Felix Auger-Aliassime, with a potential Round of 16 showdown against Andrey Rublev if he advances.

Fearnley appeared frustrated after being forced to wait some extra minutes for Zverev before beginning his warm-up — a tactic the Brit suggested the German has used before.

In his post-match press conference, Fearnley added that such delays are not uncommon from top players, recalling similar experiences against Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon and again with Zverev earlier this year at the Australian Open.

“I kind of expected it,” Fearnley admitted. “I mean, it was the same [against Zverev] in Australia, and he kind of is always like, ‘I’m sorry about that’, but he knows what he’s doing. It was the same with Novak in Wimbledon. They take their time, which is, I don’t know if it’s within the rules or not”.

Before entering Arthur Ashe Stadium, players are required to line up in a tunnel leading onto the court. Fearnley immediately reported when his name was called, but Zverev only appeared after being called three separate times.

“I don’t really know what the rule is, I just don’t. But … If they call me, I show up, because I don’t know necessarily what’s going to happen. But no, he’s well within his right to take his time. I kind of expected it. My coach expected it. Every time I played him, he kind of did the same,” he added.

Fearnley on the atmosphere

The matchup between Fearnley and Zverev took place at Louis Armstrong Stadium, the second-largest venue at the US Open behind Arthur Ashe. The British player admitted he was caught off guard by the atmosphere, noting he had never competed in front of that much noise before in his career.

Still, Fearnley refused to use it as an excuse, saying he simply needs to adjust to the environment despite tennis traditionally being played in near silence. “I hadn’t played on a court with that much noise before – it caught me by surprise,” Fearnley explained.

“I wasn’t angry, I just didn’t expect it. Now I know and I can deal with it. Alex didn’t look that stressed about it. It’s not a problem, it creates a cool atmosphere. I just have to get used to it because tennis usually [is] played in silence – but there it is always constant background noise,” he added.