It was the same court where he twisted his right ankle and crumpled to the ground in agony before being pushed off on a wheelchair during a semi-final against Rafael Nadal in 2022.
The same court where he wasted a lead of two sets to one against Carlos Alcaraz in the 2024 championship match.
"All the emotions came out, because this court is very, very special to me. It's special in a very positive way, but also special on the negative way, because I had some of the toughest moments of my life here," Zverev said.
"I was laying on this court with an injury that I didn't know if I would ever come back from. I lost a grand slam final here, so all of those memories for me, they're not wiped out. They're still with me, but this one will beat all of them."
After so many missed opportunities, Zverev is no longer one of the best players never to win a major title.
In his fourth major final, Zverev beat Flavio Cobolli 6-1 4-6 6-4 6-7 (7-5) 6-1 for the French Open title.
It was a unique opportunity for Zverev without Jannik Sinner or Alcaraz across the net and the third-ranked German took full advantage on the red clay.
Zverev joined an elite group of players that captured their first major in their fourth final: eight-time major champion Andre Agassi, 2001 Wimbledon winner Goran Ivanisevic and 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem.
Zverev had been an overwhelming favourite ever since top-ranked Sinner struggled in the first week's heat wave and wasted a two set and 5-1 lead against Juan Manuel Cerundolo in the second round. A day later, 24-time grand slam champion Novak Djokovic was also eliminated.
Alcaraz, the two-time reigning champion, withdrew before the tournament with an injured right wrist.
Zverev also lost a lead of two sets to none in the 2020 US Open final to Thiem and was beaten in straight sets by Sinner in the 2025 Australian Open final.
It was the 25th title of Zverev's career.
The 14th-ranked Cobolli had never been past a grand slam quarter-final until this week.
Zverev took control early on
Both players were treated by a trainer as the match wore on and Cobolli appeared to run out of energy in the fifth.
"He deserved it more than me at the end of the match," Cobolli said, adding that he was slowed by cramps.
Moments after Zverev's previous grand slam final in Australia in 2025, a person in the stadium yelled out the names of two of his ex-girlfriends who accused him of physical abuse.
One case was resolved following an agreement between German prosecutors, lawyers for Zverev and his former partner. The ATP Tour investigated another case and concluded there was insufficient evidence.
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