It all came rushing back to Alexander Zverev when he was lying on his back on the French Open's centre court, his hands covering his face, and sobbing as he realised that he had - finally - become a grand slam champion.
It was the same court where he twisted his right ankle and crumpled to the ground in agony before being pushed off on a wheelchair during a semi-final against Rafael Nadal in 2022.
The same court where he wasted a lead of two sets to one against Carlos Alcaraz in the 2024 championship match.
"All the emotions came out, because this court is very, very special to me. It's special in a very positive way, but also special on the negative way, because I had some of the toughest moments of my life here," Zverev said.
