PARIS (AP) — Alexander Zverev’s victory at the French Open did not dominate the headlines in France on Monday as is normally expected for the men’s singles champion.
Most noticeably, his win was reduced to a minor mention on the front page of sports daily L’Equipe, the country’s main sports newspaper, which published an editorial highlighting accusations of domestic violence that the German player has faced.
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Ballboys and ballgirls react as Alexander Zverev of Germany celebrates with the trophy after winning the men's final match against Flavio Cobolli of Italy at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Winner Alexander Zverev of Germany, left, and second placed Flavio Cobolli of Italy hug after their men's final match at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
Alexander Zverev of Germany celebrates after winning the men's final match against Flavio Cobolli of Italy at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Germany's Alexander Zverev celebrates after winning the final tennis match against Italy's Flavio Cobolli at the French Open in Paris, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Germany's Alexander Zverev reacts after winning the final tennis match against Italy's Flavio Cobolli at the French Open in Paris, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Zverev won his first major title on Sunday in Paris when he defeated Flavio Cobolli in five sets.
L'Equipe instead dedicated its front page to the handball team of Metz, which became the first French club to lift the Champions League women's trophy. There was just a small picture of Zverev on the top left corner of the main page, with the headline “Zverev, major at last.”
In addition to its coverage of the final, L'Equipe published an op-ed headlined “To live with" that focused on past accusations against Zverev. Two years ago, he settled a domestic abuse case after reaching an out-of-court settlement with his former partner, who accused him of assaulting her.
A district court in Berlin ended the trial after an agreement between state prosecutors and lawyers for Zverev and his former partner Brenda Patea. Zverev agreed to pay fines of 150,000 euros ($162,000) to the state and 50,000 euros ($54,000) to charitable organizations.
Zverev previously denied an assault allegation made by another woman. Those accusations were investigated by the ATP, but it said in January 2023 that there was insufficient evidence.
“The context complicates the reception of his success,” L'Equipe wrote. “Under German law, the payment of this sum does not constitute an admission of guilt. The proceedings concluded without any entry on his criminal record. He remains presumed innocent in a case that the courts will no longer adjudicate. Everyone will have to live with that. Her, him, you, us.”
The newspaper told the Associated Press that the decision not to feature Zverev as its main front page headline was primarily linked to the abundance of major sporting events over the weekend, including Formula 1's Monaco Grand Prix and the latest developments in cycling ahead of the Tour de France, as well as the fact that a French club won the handball European Cup.
Later, L’Equipe said Zverev interrupted when it was put to him during an interview on Monday that the subject of the accusations had been a subject of media discussion.
Zverev reportedly responded by saying: “Wait, first of all, it isn’t that kind of interview. Secondly, you know it has been proven that the accusations were false?”
He also added: “I’ve done everything I could do, and my innocence has been proven.”
L’Equipe then asked Zverev what his program will be in the coming weeks, to which L'Equipe said he replied: “I don’t know. I think we should stop (the interview), it's better."
On Sunday, L’Equipe had likewise not devoted its front page to Russian player Mirra Andreeva’s victory in the women’s singles final, rather focusing on cycling’s new French star Paul Seixas.
Last year, the newspaper's front page featured a full-page photo of Carlos Alcaraz hugging Jannik Sinner after their epic five-set men's final, widely considered one of the best French Open matches ever. A photo of Coco Gauff after her win over Aryna Sabalenka in the women's final dominated the front page the previous day.
Zverev became just the third German man in the professional era (since 1968) to win a major title and first since Boris Becker at the 1996 Australian Open.
In Germany, the Bild tabloid had a picture of Zverev with the trophy headlined “Alexander The Great,” but it was just one of a few different stories on the front page and noticeably alongside some World Cup team news. German chancellor Friedrich Merz congratulated Zverev for his “magnificent victory.”
“This outstanding performance," Merz wrote on social media, "has inspired and thrilled an entire nation."
James Ellingworth in Dusseldorf, Germany, contributed to this report.
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Ballboys and ballgirls react as Alexander Zverev of Germany celebrates with the trophy after winning the men's final match against Flavio Cobolli of Italy at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Winner Alexander Zverev of Germany, left, and second placed Flavio Cobolli of Italy hug after their men's final match at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
Alexander Zverev of Germany celebrates after winning the men's final match against Flavio Cobolli of Italy at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Germany's Alexander Zverev celebrates after winning the final tennis match against Italy's Flavio Cobolli at the French Open in Paris, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Germany's Alexander Zverev reacts after winning the final tennis match against Italy's Flavio Cobolli at the French Open in Paris, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
CHERNIHIV REGION, Ukraine (AP) — Evacuees from Russian-occupied Oleshky crossed into Ukrainian-held territory Saturday in a major rescue operation carried out under the most significant truce since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine 4½ years ago.
Evacuees, who traveled by bus and plane through Russia and Belarus, stepped off buses at the Ukrainian-Belarusian border where they reunited with family members, some wrapped in blue and yellow Ukrainian flags. Volunteers with hand-drawn welcome signs handed out coffee to the weary travelers.
One evacuee, Tetiana Leonidivna, 71, thanked the Ukrainian soldiers who helped her escape.
“We love them, we love them,” she said through tears. “We know that they are protecting us. And a deep bow to them, and a deep bow to their parents, for having such children. I am proud, I am simply proud.”
The ceasefire in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region began early Tuesday and is expected to continue through Sunday evening. The White House has said U.S. first lady Melania Trump helped to broker the localized deal, while Pope Leo XIV also pressed Russian and Ukrainian leaders to allow aid deliveries and civilian evacuations.
Relatives and volunteers with the Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders and World Central Kitchen welcomed the evacuees as they arrived at the border, ready to provide aid and food, including for their pets.
Holding a cigarette between shaking fingers, 48-year-old Ivan Yevhenovych described his last few months in Oleshky.
“It was very difficult. There were a lot of drones; it was hard to move around the streets,” he said. “Since spring, there hasn't really been any staple food left. People had a little bit of their own reserves. We are thrifty people.”
He said people were being killed by landmines or drone strikes every day.
An estimated 2,000 people were still living in Oleshky when the temporary truce took hold. They were offered the choice of being evacuated to Ukrainian- or Russian-held territory, or remaining in the city with replenished food and medical supplies.
“Many people stayed behind and didn’t want to leave,” Yevhenovych said. “Some for their houses, some for their animals.”
Ukrainian authorities, seeking to protect those who remained and safeguard future humanitarian missions, have not said how many residents evacuated Oleshky and have restricted details of their route. Melania Trump posted on social media Friday that the humanitarian convoy could safely evacuate more than 750 people.
Liza Paliy, 19, waited at the border for her father, whom she last saw more than 2½ years earlier when she fled the occupied city with her mother and sister.
“We thought at that time that it would be a month, two maximum, and we would return, but unfortunately, two years have already passed,” she said.
Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, hailed the success of the humanitarian mission.
“This is an extremely important moment. Behind us are difficult negotiations, agreements, preparations, and an enormous amount of work. But most importantly, the people who waited so long to be rescued are finally safe,” he said in an online post.
Lubinets said evacuees ranged in age from just over a year old to 94, and they brought pets, including dogs, cats, a parrot and a raccoon. He said he hoped the Oleshky truce can be replicated elsewhere.
“This experience could form the basis of a new mechanism for responding to the most difficult humanitarian crises — one that always puts people, their safety, and their right to life at its center,” he said.
Some Oleshky evacuees who chose to move to Russian-occupied territory have been taken to a temporary shelter in Simferopol, said Yana Lantratova, Russia’s human rights commissioner. The city is in Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow annexed in 2014.
“After everything they have endured and a long journey, it is essential for these people to rest, recover, and feel cared for. However, support should not be limited to just a roof over their heads and a hot meal,” she said in a social media post.
“There are many challenges ahead: replacing lost documents, medical treatment, arranging long-term housing, and reconnecting with family members. My office will assist in addressing these issues.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday welcomed U.S. approval of Ukraine’s purchase of 500 PAC-3 Patriot interceptors but urged partners to also supply weapons from existing stocks, saying the newly authorized U.S. weapons could take years to arrive.
“Right now, the Russians are attacking our energy infrastructure every single day. In just these past two weeks of October, there have already been more than 30 Russian strikes on critical parts of our power grid,” Zelenskyy wrote on X.
The Trump administration said Friday that it had approved a proposed $2.1 billion sale of Patriot air defense interceptors, after Kyiv had accused the Pentagon of delaying deliveries of the vital munition needed to stop Russian ballistic missiles.
The State Department said 500 Patriot missiles would be purchased for Ukraine with donations from Canada, Germany and Norway through a U.S. program and that no American funds were involved.
Meanwhile, a Ukrainian drone attack killed a 30-year-old woman and a 41-year-old man in Russia’s western Bryansk region, local Gov. Yegor Kovalchuk said Saturday. Five others were wounded, he said.
Local officials also reported Ukrainian drone attacks in the Russian republic of Bashkortostan. Russian media outlets said there was a fire in the region’s capital, Ufa, home to several oil refineries.
The Russian Defense Ministry said Saturday its forces had shot down 433 Ukrainian drones overnight.
Zelenskyy said Moscow launched drone attacks on energy and railway infrastructure across Ukraine overnight, leaving 280,000 households in Dnipro and Kyiv regions without power.
The attacks targeted combined heat and power plants in Kyiv and Sumy regions, four electricity substations and a gas distribution facility in the Dnipro region and railway infrastructure in Dnipro and Kharkiv, he said, adding that repair crews were working to restore power.
Zelenskyy urged partners to impose further sanctions on Russia and provide new support packages to Ukraine.
“The world sees Russia targeting civilian infrastructure every day. Everyone who does not want to see this Russian escalation spread further into Europe must help Ukraine,” he said in an online post.
Associated Press journalists Dan Bashakov in Chernihiv Region, Ukraine; Susie Blann in Kyiv; and Katie Marie Davies in Manchester, England, contributed.
Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Ukrainian serviceman Dmytro hugs his wife Larysa after she being evacuated from their Russian-occupied hometown as they cross the Belarus-Ukraine border in Chernyhiv region, Ukraine, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Ukrainian serviceman Dmytro, center, hugs his family after they being evacuated from their Russian-occupied hometown as they cross the Belarus-Ukraine border in Chernyhiv region, Ukraine, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Ukrainian serviceman Dmytro hugs his wife Larysa after she being evacuated from their Russian-occupied hometown as they cross the Belarus-Ukraine border in Chernyhiv region, Ukraine, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
In this screenshot from a video provided by the Office of the Ombudsman of Ukraine, Ukraine's Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, left, speaks with residents of Oleshky during their evacuation to a safe area amid a local ceasefire connected to a humanitarian aid mission in Oleshky, Kherson region, Ukraine, Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. (Office of the Ombudsman of Ukraine via AP)
In this photo provided by the Office of the Ombudsman of Ukraine, Ukraine's Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, center right, and Russian Ombudsman Yana Lantratova speak with journalists before departing for Oleshky to evacuate local residents to a safe area during a local ceasefire linked to a humanitarian mission in Ukraine's Kherson region, Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. (Office of the Ombudsman of Ukraine via AP) CORRECTION: change position of Dmytro Lubinets from center left to center right
