Experts debate if Grand Slam 'floodgates' will now open for Alexander Zverev and if he can be part of 'Big Three' after French Open victory?

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Will the Grand Slam ”floodgates” open for Alexander Zverev after winning the French Open? And could he now have the belief to form a new ‘Big Three’ with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner?

Highlights: Zverev comes through five-set final with Cobolli to win first Grand Slam title

Video credit: TNT Sports

Those were questions posed by TNT Sports expert Mats Wilander after Zverev beat Flavio Cobolli in five sets in the French Open final.

Zverev had lost in three previous major finals, including in Paris two years ago to Alcaraz.

But this time he got over the line to finally end his wait for a Grand Slam title at the age of 29.

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Wilander won his first major at the age of 17 and says victory could be a game-changer for Zverev.

He said: ”It makes it seem possible that you can win another one, that’s the first thought - ‘wow, I can do it, it wasn’t that hard’. During the match it’s hard, but when you win it you feel so confident and you think ‘I did it’.

”That is actually what I felt, and then I lost the next one in the final, and then things changed completely.”

Watching the final on Court Philippe-Chatrier was Dominic Thiem, who came from two sets down to beat Zverev in the 2020 US Open final.

Thiem was 27 at the time and had also lost his previous three major finals.

He was unable to follow up his US Open triumph with further success due to injuries and a drop in motivation.

”That can happen to you when you get a bit older,” said Wilander.

”Thiem got injured too with his wrist problems, but I do think he lost a bit of the drive when he finally climbed the mountain.

”It will be interesting to see how Zverev takes this win. Is it such a relief that it will be hard for him to focus in the future, or will the floodgates open and he can actually think he can be part of a ‘Big Three’ now?”

Sinner and Alcaraz had won the last nine Grand Slams before the French Open.

Sinner was upset in the second round in Paris while Alcaraz did not play due to a wrist injury.

TNT Sports expert Alex Corretja says things will now be ”totally different” for Zverev after ending his Grand Slam wait.

”I think it’s deserving because he has been so close many times but he couldn’t make it," Corretja said. "This is so difficult to win and it’s normal to have nerves. I think he dealt very well with the situations and in the end he hung in there and now he has the big trophy. It’s an amazing achievement for him.

”He truly deserves it. We feel like has been playing enough good tennis to win a major and from now on it’s going to be totally different for him and I think it makes tennis more interesting with different winners.”

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