French Open 2026: Alexander Zverev and Flavio Cobolli will put friendship aside with Grand Slam title at stake

How do professional athletes manage to be friends while competing for the sport's biggest prizes?

The current generation of tennis players seem to be closer than ever, with French Open finalists Alexander Zverev and Flavio Cobolli among those who are good mates.

But both men insist it will not be difficult to separate their personal friendship from their professional focus - which on Sunday will be winning a Grand Slam title for the first time.

Second seed Zverev and Italian 10th seed Cobolli will meet for a third time on clay this season, with Cobolli having won in Munich before Zverev beat him in Madrid at the next tournament.

The pair became friends when they were team-mates at the 2024 Laver Cup - where an Europe side takes on a World team - and have gone on to form what Zverev calls a "natural" bond.

After his Roland Garros semi-final, Zverev described how 24-year-old Cobolli regularly picks his brains about the sport.

Cobolli said they enjoy chatting about movies, while their fathers - who are also their coaches - are friendly.

"He's a great player, a great guy," said Zverev.

"I like him. I like his dad a lot. They are very good people. It's his first final, so I'm happy for him that he reached it."

Germany's Zverev is the favourite to finally land the major title he has long been predicted to win - although the 29-year-old has lost his three previous Grand Slam finals, including the Roland Garros championship match two years ago.

"When you play a Grand Slam final, it's not that difficult [to put friendship aside] because it means you reached the best stage in tennis," Zverev said.

"You still try to beat each other and you still try to win, but that's OK."

Cobolli was due to play another friend in the semi-finals, but he received a walkover when compatriot Matteo Arnaldi withdrew because of a virus.

It means Cobolli has not played a competitive match since Wednesday.

"I will be ready but I also know that I will be fresh. Maybe [not playing] helped, maybe not. I will tell you after the final," Cobolli said.

At the 2020 US Open, Zverev let a two-set lead slip against Austria's Dominic Thiem - another close friend.

Zverev came up against a better opponent in Alcaraz at the 2024 French Open - although he did lead the Spaniard by two sets to one - and he was undone by Sinner at last year's Australian Open.

The emergence of Alcaraz and Sinner meant many thought Zverev - who said he felt mentally "empty" a year ago - had missed his chance to land a major.

Zverev insists he has consigned those previous experiences to the past.

And, for the first time, he will face an opponent without past experience of playing in a major final.

Zverev has looked composed in his past two matches against Spanish teenager Rafael Jodar and Czech 26th seed Jakub Mensik.

Since taking over as the clear title favourite he has claimed he "doesn't care" about the expectation.

"I focus on the next match and on the opponent as they cross the net, and that's the only thing that I can control," Zverev said.

Does making such a deep run for the first time leave Cobolli swinging freely? Or will the sense of occasion and opportunity bring more tension?

"It depends how you live this kind of thing. I never put pressure on myself," said Cobolli, who was a promising footballer in Roma's academy before focusing on tennis.

"I like to live the moment like if I was a kid, just with big passion and a big smile."

Cobolli jokes that his progress in Paris is also down to his superstitious nature.

Over the past fortnight he has stuck to a winning routine - thanking the crowd in French, eating at the same restaurant every night, and showering in the Roland Garros cubicle that 14-time champion Rafael Nadal always used.

"I'm a little bit [superstitious] but not crazy - this week I'm a little bit more crazy than the others," Cobolli added.

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