I was convinced Alexander Zverev would never win a grand slam title. I was proven wrong - but he needed mighty help from the tennis gods to make it happen. I have questions about whether this will translate into more success or if things will remain more or less the same.
(If you want to skip the DV case discussion part, I talk exclusively about tennis from 16:32 until the end.)
But, before the tennis, there's the awkward, sad situation of the DV allegations. He was cleared via settlement, which indicates neither guilt nor innocence, but he's effectively not charged with anything and has no record (as far as I understand.) But that doesn't mean the ATP should just call it a day on that: the lack of policies, or even any sort of acknowledgement of the serious problem of domestic abuse is simply disappointing. It's not about Zverev, but about a sustainable, robust standard in place to protect victims and hold their contractors, stars and moneymakers to a level of integrity that needs to be even higher than for doping cases.
Once that's out of the way, I talk about where my attention will be directed in terms of Zverev's next matches, which I believe will give a definitive answer as to whether Roland Garros was a one-in-a-life-time chance for him, or if this win can unlock a new mentality for the German.
Spoiler alert: I don't think anything will change, and he will continue losing to Alcaraz, Sinner, and whoever else will come up in the future that will become the next big thing.
But, for better or for worse, Alexander Zverev is a Grand Slam champion.
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