Flavio Cobolli came up short in his first-ever Grand Slam final at the 2026 French Open.
Cobolli was denied in the championship match by Alexander Zverev, who finally captured a maiden major crown that had eluded him for his entire career.
The German became the first from his country to win the Roland Garros title, and the first to win a Grand Slam since Boris Becker in 1996.
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Cobolli endured a nervous start to the match, but quickly found his groove in the second set and ultimately forced Zverev to a decider.
But in the end, it wasn’t to be for the Italian, who was asked after the match if he thinks he’ll ever return to a major final.
Flavio Cobolli speaks after losing the French Open final
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Cobolli responded: “This is something that you cannot predict, but I will try. I will try and try and try.
“When you reach the first final, why not the second? At the end I think I deserve to be here in this week.
“Maybe not in the next 10 or 15 Slams, but like I said in the ceremony I am still young. I have to work a lot.
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“I enjoy this journey, and maybe if I work and enjoy and a mix of things, maybe I will reach another Grand Slam final.”
With his run to the final, Cobolli will crack the top ten in the world for the first time.
Flavio Cobolli’s run to the 2026 Roland Garros final
Cobolli recorded a flawless start to his French Open campaign, having not dropped a set throughout his opening three matches.
He beat Andrea Pellegrino and Wu Yibing in rounds one and two, before overcoming 18th seed Learner Tien, all in straight sets.
The 24-year-old dropped his first set of the tournament against American star Zachary Svajda in the fourth round.
In the last eight, Cobolli went a set down to fourth-seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, but fought back to win in four and advance to a maiden Grand Slam semifinal.
His place in the final was ultimately booked for him when semifinal opponent Matteo Arnaldi was forced to withdraw before their match due to illness.
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