French Open 2026: Zverev, Mensik, Cobolli and Arnaldi reach Grand Slam semi-finals

A shock second-round loss to heavy favorite Jannik Sinner meant that what was expected to be a one-horse race was a free-for-all.

German second seed Zverev took his place as the clear frontrunner to win the Coupe des Mousquetaires – but he has scar tissue from three previous Grand Slam final defeats.

The 28-year-old player missed the golden opportunity by taking a two-set lead against Austrian Dominic Thiem in the 2020 US Open final.

He faced better opponent in the 2024 French Open final in Carlos Alcaraz; The emergence of this rival alongside Sinner meant that many missed Zverev’s chance at the major.

Zverev was also defeated by Sinner, who put in a brutal performance in last year’s Australian Open final. Sinner led the German to say he felt mentally “empty” a few months later.

With Alcaraz, Sinner and 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic out of the way, Zverev likely won’t have a better opportunity to win the Grand Slam he was long predicted to win.

Will Zverev keep his cool? He claims he “doesn’t care” if he is considered the favourite.

“I focus on the next game and the opponent crossing the net and that’s the only thing I can control,” he said.

“If I win these games, that would be great.”