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Flavio Cobolli has joked that his progress in Paris is 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.

Tim Henman
Former British number one on TNT Sports

Flavio Cobolli has got that happy-go-lucky appearance and mindset and he's always having fun. Winning or losing, he's playing with that flair and passion and that's been clear in his run through this tournament.

He is out there playing the best tennis of his life and enjoying every step of the way.

Ryan Harrison
Former French Open men's doubles champion on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

For Flavio Cobolli it is going to be a new experience. He has not walked out for a Slam final before and this is Alexander Zverev's fourth final. Zverev will look to take experience from those previous matches.

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Flavio Cobolli and Alexander Zverev will be doing everything they can to defeat each other on the court today. But off it, they are actually good friends.

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 also friendly.

Ryan Harrison
Former French Open men's doubles champion on BBC Radio 5 Live

When Jannik Sinner went out, the pressure immediately shifted on to Alexander Zverev - he had some tough sections of the draw.

For one, I think the whole notion that Zverev is a choker, that he can't play under pressure is a complete myth. There are plenty of stats to throw out there to show he does play well under pressure.

He is in the conversation every year.

If you think back to that 2020 US Open final, that is the only one that escaped him, but that's understandable when you're in that position for the first time.

Russell Fuller
BBC tennis correspondent on BBC Radio 5 Live

You would probably have had Alexander Zverev down as a very likely finalist given he was in the other half of the draw to Jannik Sinner.

Zverev has lived up to his seeding, he is the second seed here, and he has played very well indeed.

He has so much experience at Roland Garros as well, a finalist here two years ago, and he has been in the semi-final five times in the last six years.

Alexander Zverev has long been tipped for Grand Slam glory.

But the German has fallen short at every major final he has reached.

At the US Open in 2020, he lost to Dominic Thiem despite holding a two-set lead and serving for the title at 5-3 in the final set.

He led Carlos Alcaraz by two sets to one in the 2024 French Open showpiece.

And Zverev was outclassed in straight sets during the 2025 Australian Open final by a superior Jannik Sinner.

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John McEnroe
Three-time Wimbledon singles champion on TNT Sports

Zverev will be feeling some pressure.

I don't think it's a pressure he needs to avoid any more. He's handled it very well because it's been going on for the better part of a week with people saying "he's got to win this and if he doesn't he'll never win one".

If he does win, it could open the floodgates and he might be a lot more confident against Sinner, Alcaraz or whoever it is. It's a monumental moment for him.

Cobolli is in a place he didn't expect to be in so it would be the icing on the cake [for him to win].

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Flavio Cobilli has played one match less than Alexander Zverev to get to the Roland Garros final.

He was due to face fellow Italian Matteo Arnaldi in the semi-final on Friday, but Arnaldi withdrew just 25 minute before the match because of a virus.

Cobolli said he "almost cried" knowing that his good friend had missed out on a Grand Slam semi-final, but he will have had two more rest days than Zverev.

How big of a factor will that be?

Daniela Hantuchova
Former world number five on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

Flavio Cobolli's footwork has got him into the final. It is almost like poetry in motion the way he moves around the court. Very similar to the way Roger Federer played.

Russell Fuller
BBC tennis correspondent on BBC Radio 5 Live

Flavio Cobolli, I don't think many people predicted this. He is still a very young man at 24, even though he has become increasingly successful on the ATP Tour and is part of this surge in Italian tennis in both the men's and women's game.

He is pretty inexperienced at the Grand Slam level. In fact, this is only the second time in his career he has got past the third round of a Grand Slam. The first time was Wimbledon last year, and now he's here in the final.

He didn't have to play the semi-final against Matteo Arnaldi, which will probably be an advantage for him, but he has not been on the match court since Wednesday as Arnaldi had to pull out of that semi-final with a viral illness.

Alexander Zverev leads the head-to-head record against Flavio Cobolli by three matches to one.

They met at Roland Garros in the third round last year, with Germany's Zverev winning in straight sets.

They've played each other twice on clay this year - Cobolli won their semi-final in Munich in straight sets, while Zverev returned the favour a week or so later with a quarter-final win against the Italian at the Masters event in Madrid.

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Today is the day that Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz's Grand Slam reign comes to an end...

• Australian Open 2024: Jannik Sinner
• French Open 2024: Carlos Alcaraz
• Wimbledon 2024: Carlos Alcaraz
• US Open 2024: Jannik Sinner
• Australian Open 2025: Jannik Sinner
• French Open 2025: Carlos Alcaraz
• Wimbledon 2025: Jannik Sinner
• US Open 2025: Carlos Alcaraz
• Australian Open 2026: Carlos Alcaraz
• French Open 2026: ???

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As always, we want to hear from you!

Think Alexander Zverev can end his Grand Slam final curse? Or will Flavio Cobolli pip him to a first major title?

Get you predictions in! And let us know what you've enjoyed most about this year's Roland Garros.

BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

You can listen to live commentary of the French Open men's singles final on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sounds and via the link at the top of this page.

Coverage will switch to BBC Radio 5 Live following its commentary of the Monaco Grand Prix.

Welcome to live coverage of the 2026 French Open men's singles final, where we will crown a new Grand Slam champion today.

Alexander Zverev has never had a better chance to get his hands on that elusive maiden major, while Flavio Cobolli will be hoping to spoil the German's party as the Italian underdog.

Let's go!

Two weeks of non-stop tennis drama, and it all comes down to this...

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