Alexander Zverev is through to the summit clash of the 2026 French Open and he will enter the match as a favorite to lift the trophy. As the German stands on the brink of his maiden Major title, accusations from his past about domestic violence have led fans to campaign for ‘anyone but Zverev’ to win Roland Garros, with many announcing their boycott of the men’s singles finals.
Zverev was first accused of abuse by his ex-girlfriend Olga Sharypova in 2020. The Russian tennis player alleged several incidents of violence, stating that Zverev had tried to strangle her with a pillow at the 2019 US Open. She also shared that after an incidence of abuse at the 2019 Laver Cup, she had attempted to commit suicide by injecting the German’s insulin.
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The investigations surrounding these accusations were opened in October 2021, and closed 15 months later, with the ATP stating that they had insufficient evidence to back Sharypova’s claims.
A few months after the closing of this case, Alexander Zverev‘s former girlfriend Brenda Patea alleged that the tennis star had caused her bodily harm during an argument in 2020. A Berlin court subsequently issued a penalty order and a 450,000-euro fine, but Zverev chose to appeal the ruling. However, the trial was cut short after the 29-year-old paid 200,000 euros for a settlement agreement, a move his lawyers insisted was aimed to ‘shorten the proceedings’.
In light of these allegations, many fans are disappointed at the thought of the World No.3 standing atop the podium at a Grand Slam event and have taken up the ‘anyone but Zverev’ tag ahead of the finals. Several X users also stated that they would be boycotting the summit clash in Paris.
“Hi! I have an apology to make. I’m not watching French men’s final tomorrow,” one fan wrote.
“I refuse to even watch his matches. Not just the DV allegations but his constant complaining and blaming everything and everyone else for his choking. He’s insufferable,” another added.
One X user expressed that they hope Alexander Zverev fails to win on Sunday, writing,
“I truly hope God takes care of Zverev tomorrow. He’s the one person who absolutely does not deserve to win because he is a pathetic human being. any form of success should always slip past him, making him utterly miserable and guilt-ridden. he deserves the worst.”
Alexander Zverev and Flavio Cobolli set to return to action on Sunday for French Open finals
The 2026 French Open finals will see second seed Alexander Zverev go up against Flavio Cobolli. Zverev has enjoyed smooth sailing in Paris so far, moving past the likes of Tomas Machac, Rafael Jodar and Jakub Mensik with ease. Meanwhile, Cobolli’s campaign at the clay court Major has seen him outdo Leaner Tien, Zachary Svajda and Felix Auger-Aliassime amongst others.
Now, Alexander Zverev and Flavio Cobolli will return to action on Sunday, June 7 for their summit clash at Roland Garros. The duo are scheduled to be in action at 3:00 PM local time. Zverev heads into the match as a strong favorite for the win, but Cobolli will hope to pull off a repeat of the 2026 BMW Open semifinals and outdo the German.
Edited by Riddhi Acharya
