Alexander Zverev’s French Open Triumph Overshadowed by Other Headlines
PARIS (AP) — Alexander Zverev’s achievement in winning the French Open men’s singles title on Sunday did not capture the spotlight in France, unlike typical responses to such victories. The German player’s success was notably sidelined by French sports media.
Sports daily L’Equipe, France’s leading sports publication, opted for minimal front-page coverage of Zverev’s victory. Instead, the paper prominently featured the Metz handball team’s historic win in the Champions League women’s trophy. Zverev’s image appeared only in a small section, captioned “Zverev, major at last.”
The subdued recognition was partly due to past allegations against Zverev, which L’Equipe addressed in an editorial. Two years earlier, Zverev had reached an out-of-court settlement regarding a domestic abuse case with his former partner, Brenda Patea. The case concluded in a Berlin district court where Zverev agreed to pay fines totaling 200,000 euros to the state and charitable organizations.
Under German law, L’Equipe noted, such a payment does not equate to an admission of guilt, leaving Zverev with no criminal record entry. The piece stated, “The context complicates the reception of his success.”
Zverev, who had previously denied other allegations investigated by the ATP, was found to have insufficient evidence against him in January 2023. Despite this, discussions around these allegations persisted during interviews.
In response to questions about the accusations, Zverev interrupted an interview with L’Equipe, stating: “Wait, first of all, it isn’t that kind of interview. Secondly, you know it has been proven that the accusations were false?” He further asserted, “I’ve done everything I could do, and my innocence has been proven.”
Meanwhile, Zverev’s future plans remain uncertain as he told L’Equipe he was unsure about his upcoming schedule before concluding the interview.
On the same day Zverev’s victory was not the dominant headline, Russian player Mirra Andreeva’s win in the women’s singles final also did not lead the front page, overshadowed by coverage of French cyclist Paul Seixas.
L’Equipe’s past front-page choices included a memorable image of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner from a previous epic French Open final and a feature on Coco Gauff after her triumph over Aryna Sabalenka.
With his victory, Zverev became the third German man in the professional tennis era to win a major, following Boris Becker’s 1996 Australian Open win. In Germany, the Bild tabloid celebrated with the headline “Alexander The Great,” though it shared space with World Cup news. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz congratulated Zverev, calling his victory “magnificent” and “inspiring” to the nation.
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