John McEnroe Predicts Winner Ahead of Alexander Zverev–Flavio Cobolli French Open Final: ‘30% Chance’

In a Grand Slam where there were no former champions left by the end of the first week, is it too far-fetched to imagine that the final might end with an upset as well? That is the million-dollar question that former World No. 1 John McEnroe tried to answer before the men’s singles final between Alexander Zverev and Flavio Cobolli at the 2026 French Open. As one of the analysts for TNT’s broadcasting, McEnroe expressed his doubt that the match would be an even contest, clearly declaring one of the two as the firm favorite to win the trophy.

“I would give him [Cobboli] a one in three chance, I think 30% chance,” said McEnroe on TNT. “He’s a heavy underdog… he’s super talented, he’s also a great athlete. He’ll be fresh and certainly nervous, but so will Zverev.”

The American did point out that the German also had a lot riding on this final, as a win here could “open the floodgates” for him in terms of winning major titles.

There are some well-founded reasons behind McEnroe’s arguments, as Zverev’s clay-court resume is nothing short of exemplary. The German player has won nine titles on clay. His record at the French Open has also been consistent, having a 44-10 win-loss record on clay-court major according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss index and reaching at least the quarterfinals in the last five editions. Also, the second seed has experience playing in Grand Slam finals. The Sunday fixture will be his fourth Major final, which includes one French Open final that came in 2024 against Carlos Alcaraz, where he lost in a five-set thriller.

What will be handy for Cobolli is the Italian’s explosive movement on the court and powerful shots, which could disrupt the German’s baseline consistency. Also, he has already shown he is a capable player on clay, having won two titles from three finals on the surface. Most importantly, the two players have already faced each other twice this season on clay, with Cobolli winning in Munich, while Zverev had the last laugh in Madrid.

John McEnroe isn’t the only legend throwing support behind Alexander Zverev before the 2026 French Open final. Former British No. 1 Tim Henman and Zverev’s fellow German Boris Becker have both thrown their weight behind the 29-year-old as he chases his maiden Grand Slam title.

On one hand, Boris Becker brought some spicy trivia to the TNT Crew ahead of the final.

“Can I give you a little history? You know, it’s been 50 years since an Italian won here,” Boris Becker shared with the TNT Crew ahead of the final. “And Sascha, his last six losses have been against Italians. Yes. I didn’t want to share it, but I had to. I’m just glad it’s a lot of Jannik Sinner. I was going to say glad the guy is not called Sinner tomorrow, but he’s still Italian.”

Over the past year, Sinner has evolved into Zverev’s major hurdle. The world No. 1 beat Zverev at Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, and Madrid, and Zverev also lost to Alcaraz at this year’s Australian Open. But things look different now, since Zverev crashed in Munich semifinals to Cobolli while Luciano Darderi beat him in Rome. But Henman sees things differently and calls Zverev the clear favorite thanks to his experience.

“It’s a two-horse race, isn’t it? But I’d give Cobolli probably a one in seven, one in eight chance, I think. Zverev is a clear favourite. He’s been in this situation before,” Henman said to TNT Sports. “He’s playing the best tennis of his life but you just never know. Cobolli could come out there and get that first set under his belt and Zverev gets tight.”

It goes without saying that both Zverev and Cobolli will be cautious starters in what could be the biggest match of their lives, but once they settle in, it could be a slugfest, as both players have been in supreme form over the last two weeks.

Both Alexander Zverev and Flavio Cobolli have had great campaigns at Roland Garros So Far

Zverev entered the French Open as the second seed, and with Alcaraz absent, his prospects looked better from the outset. The German started with confidence, beginning his campaign with straight-set victories over the likes of Benjamin Bonzi and Tomas Machac in the first two rounds. In the third round, the German dropped a set against home favorite, Quentin Halys, but was able to wrap the match up in four sets. However, by this time, the likes of Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic had been knocked out of the competition, further increasing the burden of expectations on Zverev.

The second seed responded splendidly, winning his fourth-round match against Jesper de Jong in straight sets. He faced young sensation, Rafael Jodar, in the quarterfinals, and had to dig deep to recover from a 2-5 deficit in the first set, but once he found his rhythm, Zverev wrapped up the match in straight sets. In the semifinal, another young challenger, Jakub Mensik, awaited the German, who played in a somewhat similar style. Even though the Czech tried his best by winning the third set, it was the 2024 runner-up who used his experience to win in four sets and reach his second Roland Garros final.

Cobolli had a confident start, winning against the likes of Andrea Pellegrino, Wu Yibing, and Learner Tien without dropping a set. He did drop a set against Zachary Svajda in the fourth round, but the Italian did enough to close the match out in four sets. His toughest challenge came in the quarterfinals, when he faced fourth-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime, who won the first set. With the roofs closed and conditions supposedly favoring Auger-Aliassime, the Italian turned it around, winning the match in four sets to reach the semifinal.

Cobolli was all set for a semifinal clash against Matteo Arnaldi, but Arnaldi withdrew before the match due to a viral illness. Now, whether this added rest is favorable to the Italian remains to be seen in the final. Zverev has the 3-1 head-to-head advantage and is the on-paper favorite, but one can expect Cobolli to give his best and give his underdog story a fairytale ending.

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