Horacio Zeballos won Roland Garros at 40 and is now aiming for Wimbledon: "I never stopped believing in myself as a tennis player."

Several days have passed since that match on the clay of the Bois de Boulogne , which will forever be etched in Horacio Zeballos ' memory. But the final he won with his partner Marcel Granollers over Britons Neal Skupski and Joe Salisbury to lift the Roland Garros doubles trophy and celebrate his first Grand Slam title at the age of 40, is still vividly on his mind. This is even though he's shifted gears and started thinking about grass and Wimbledon , which starts on Monday.

"We were hitting the post. It was there, but we couldn't convert it. That's why when we won, it was a mixture of satisfaction, joy, and relief. We were able to get the thorn out of our side. And I still enjoy it. I remember it all the time. Out there, we're training with my coach and we keep reminiscing about moments from the matches, especially the final," he told Clarín from Miami, where he began preparing for his return to competition, before leaving for London.

Zeballos isn't resting on his laurels. Nor is he content with what he achieved in Paris, an unforgettable title for him and historic for Argentine tennis, his first in a men's doubles tournament at a major. Nor does he let the joy of that achievement distract him. Because that "permission" he gives himself to rejoice every now and then in the most important victory of his career is, precisely, one of the keys to everything he's achieved since he decided to close the curtain on his singles career and dedicate himself fully to this sport. And it's also an extra motivation to go for more.

"Every now and then, I stop and think... Not just in tennis, I might be eating barbecue with my family or enjoying a day at the beach and I try to say, 'Let's stop for a second and look at how lucky we are. And let's enjoy the moment.' And the same thing happens to me with tennis. Roland Garros ended and of course, there was all this euphoria and joy. But there have been more than a few moments when I've stopped what I was doing and said , 'Hey, we won Roland Garros,' or 'I was number 1.' That makes me incredibly proud, and I love knowing that I'm achieving things I'd only dreamed of before," explains the man who has been, for some time now, the best Argentine doubles player in history.

"That's how I'm trying to approach the future now. And it's also one of the reasons I'm still going strong. It's the passion with which one must pursue what one loves in life. Whether it's work, life itself, or sports. You have to approach it with passion and enthusiasm," he reflects.

-Did the decision to change plans and return to Argentina after the victory in Paris have anything to do with that?

-Yes, I needed a few days to enjoy time with my family, my friends, and my loved ones. With the people from the clubs that watched me grow and develop as a player, who experienced my career from the inside out. I had a different kind of tour planned, but when we won the title, I sat on the bench, looked at my coach, and said , "We have to go to Argentina, no matter what." They were crazy and wonderful days. I went to the Abierto , the club where I train in Buenos Aires, and the reception was beautiful. And I went to Mar del Plata . I was able to celebrate with my grandmother, who was exactly turning 100, and return to my club ( Editor's note: Edison Lawn Tennis , founded by her father, Horacio ). I walked around the fronton and court 3, where I'd often gone with my dad to practice my serve or improve a shot. It brought back wonderful childhood memories.

Zeballos hasn't been focused exclusively on doubles for that long. A professional since 2003, he began his career on the circuit in singles, reaching a world ranking of 39th and winning a title, which he won in Viña del Mar 2013 against the great Rafael Nadal . In 2018, he began paying more attention to doubles competition, and at the end of 2019, he ended his singles career and teamed up with Granollers.

Together they have won 13 titles - including Roland Garros and eight Masters 1000 - and played in four other important finals, those of Wimbledon in 2021 and 2023, the US Open in 2019 and the ATP Finals in 2023. Previously, Zeballos had lifted 12 trophies with other teammates, for a total of 25 and being the most winner in the history of Argentine tennis in this discipline, ahead of Guillermo Vilas 's 16. And in May of last year, by reaching the semi-finals in Madrid, the duo climbed to the top of the rankings for the first time and the Mar del Plata native became the first Argentine to be number 1 in an ATP ranking.

Your 2025 Roland-Garros doubles champions: Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos 🇪🇸🇦🇷 #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/M1chjlPFRw

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 7, 2025

How do you explain the impressive career you've built in less than six years?

Several factors came into play. I've always loved doubles and always gave it importance. At first, singles was the priority, but I needed doubles to continue supporting myself financially, so I always played it. Plus, Marcel and I know we're good tennis players, and that means we can compete at the highest levels or be at the top of the rankings. Then there's also faith, the self-belief to try to achieve these goals. I never stopped believing in myself as a tennis player. And, obviously, constant work, going to training every day, that perseverance and that conviction are extremely important for success.

-Having a partner like Granollers must also help. Why does that partnership work so well?

-Because we've known each other for many years, when we were still singles players, we even played against each other. Being Spanish and Argentine, we have similar customs. We respect each other a lot off the field and we know that each of us has our own time and wants to share not only with each other, but also with our team, so we give each other the freedom to say, 'It's not necessary to spend 20 hours together.' We understand each other well off the field, and that makes the relationship afterward, when we're playing, much easier.

Zeballos, who returned to the top 10 after Roland Garros and is ranked eighth, has not forgotten his most important pillar: family.

"I was lucky enough to grow up in a beautiful environment, where they instilled in me the principles of a family, which I try to replicate with my family today. I grew up in a very healthy environment, with a lot of love and joy, and that was priceless. It gave me a happy childhood. I grew up with one goal: to play tennis, and I had nothing to distract me from my path, and that was thanks to my dad and mom. I was also lucky enough, or the gift, to surround myself with people who contributed a lot to my career, and today I have a wife ( Sofia Menconi ) who supports me fully," he says.

"The only thing I do is play tennis, thanks to them, who have made and continue to make my life easier off the court. That's why it's true that tennis players seem to be alone on the court, but if they don't have the support off it like I do, it would be very difficult to succeed," he adds.

There's another important factor that explains his achievements, which Zeballos doesn't talk about directly, but which is evident when listening to him: humility. This virtue was evident this year, for example, when he had no problem going down to play a Challenger to regain his rhythm after a complicated start to the season due to an injury to Granollers, or when he asked Carlos Alcaraz , with far less experience on the circuit and in life than him, for advice on how to approach the final in Paris.

"It's all part of the same process of saying I want to achieve the goals I set for myself. The year started off not being good, so we had to start looking for ways to raise our level and confidence. If it required going to a Challenger or a smaller tournament, we were going to do it. And we did. Always with that hope and that goal of getting back to the top of the rankings and feeling competitive," he explains.

And he continues: "With Alcaraz, I felt he needed more tools to perform better on the court and it seemed like a unique opportunity. He's young, but he has a fabulous record that I think is incredible and he's a great player. When I spoke to him, he had four titles in four Grand Slam finals ( Editor's note: Today it's five in five ). What better way to ask for advice than from a star, a champion. I approached him, asked him and he, who is a champion on and off the court, conveyed to me with his humility what he felt at that moment."

-You've been one of the best players in the world for several years, a tennis star, but you keep your feet on the ground...

-It has to be that way. Anyone who boasts about being a good tennis player, I'd say they're a moron, although I don't like to use that word. We're tennis players. Let a doctor who goes out and saves lives boast, but we play tennis. It's essential to try to understand that truth. There are people far more important than a tennis player. Thinking like that keeps me grounded and happy with what I'm doing and what I have.

"I wasn't sure it would work out. At the time, I had a lot of doubts. I didn't want to leave the opportunity to give doubles the importance it deserved to the last minute in my career, but I didn't know what to do. Now, looking back, it was a fantastic decision," Zeballos recalls, looking back on that 2019 moment that changed the course of his career.

"It changed everything for me. With doubles, I was able to achieve goals that perhaps were too big for me in singles. And I'm not complaining. I think I had a good singles career, but given my level, to be 50 or 60, I had to be away between 30 and 35 weeks a year. And at that point, I didn't want that anymore; I wanted to be at home with my family more. Today, luckily, I'm traveling about 20 or 22 weeks a week. Training-wise, things have changed a lot, too. The physical demands of doubles are less, but the matches are also more dynamic. Singles are more tiring and physically demanding, but in doubles, it's very important to be very focused," he reflects.

-Did you have a period of "grieving" where you missed the singles?

I missed it a little at first. I kept playing a little bit with the guys at the academy, but today when I see other players playing five sets at a Grand Slam, I say , 'Wow, I don't miss this anymore.' Also, I think I squeezed everything I could out of my singles career, so I've never regretted it. It took me more than 16 years to give everything I could to be the best singles player I could be. That's another key: trying not to leave anything in the tank and feeling like you gave it your all to stay calm.

--Can a doubles player make a living from tennis?

It's no comparison to the singles career. You have to try to be in the top 40 or 50, so far fewer people can do it. But yes, you can make a living and make a living out of doubles.

What do you think about the gap between the prizes awarded for individual and couples competitions?

I really don't like getting into that discussion. I'm happy with what I can do. I'm more than happy with the financial side of things I'm entitled to, and I don't want to compare it to singles or any other competition. Besides, I know there are jobs that are much harder, requiring you to work much longer hours, away from home and family, and that are much more thankless and lower-paid. I'm happy with what I have, and I think it's more than enough.

-In 2019, did you imagine still being competitive at 40?

-Not really. I didn't imagine achieving the accomplishments I did. Obviously, they were goals I set for myself. But reaching number 1 seemed very difficult. As the years went by and we started getting closer and achieving certain results, I started to gain a little more confidence. But being competitive at 40, I didn't expect that. Today I want to keep working on my physical and mental aspects so I can feel as young as possible. Not just in tennis, but in life as well. It happens when I come home and I'm with the boys; I can play with them, jump in the pool, or go for a run. It's a great feeling to take care of your body and mind and be well.

-Although you haven't been playing doubles for that long, your first Grand Slam title was a long time coming. Did you ever think it wouldn't happen?

It took a while to happen, given the results we'd been getting. We'd been close on several occasions, reached three finals, many semis... And the chances kept slipping away. But we never stopped believing. Obviously, we accepted that if it didn't happen, it didn't happen. It could happen, because you're up against an opponent who plays tennis well and will do everything possible to beat you. But we knew we were going to give it our all, do whatever it takes to achieve our goal. If you don't set dreams or goals, it's hard to improve in anything: in sports, in life, or at work.

What excited you more, reaching number 1 or winning at Roland Garros?

-What a tough question ( Laughs ). I think I shed a few tears both times because they were the two goals I'd dreamed about the most since I decided to focus on doubles. It's very difficult to choose because both also required a lot of mental effort before the matches. When you're on the court, you're nervous, you're playing under pressure, but you know what you're doing. Everything leading up to it is the hardest part. The day and the morning before, having to deal with all that nervousness off the court. And both times I had the same feelings of nervousness and fear, and all the work was incredibly important. But both were incredible.

You said at the start of the conversation that you still enjoy and reminisce about the Paris final from time to time. How do you manage to calm the adrenaline rush and get back to the circuit?

-There's the ability to say, 'I'm enjoying this moment, I remember it, but I have to try to turn the page,' because the competition continues, the rivals keep playing, improving, and trying to beat you, and so you have to try to get your head back in focus. I still have the same desire. I'm trying to keep improving some of the little things I can improve, and we're going to try to win another Grand Slam, to be number 1 again, why not, to keep adding titles. For now, I don't want to let up, and I'm having a good time. And that's fundamental.