“I started playing tennis when I was young, and I never expected this kind of result, but now that I'm here, I just wanna make possible something special because for me it's not done, it's only the start and I'm still young,” Cobolli said. “I just want to enjoy every moment that I spend on court with a smile. “

The 10th seed had arrived for the season’s second major having reached only one Grand Slam quarterfinal previously - at Wimbledon last year.

In a Roland-Garros that experienced more boilovers than any in recent decades, he departed as the new world No.10 having come within a set of becoming the lowest-ranked player to prevail in Paris since world No.44 Gaston Gaudio in 2004.

“At the end he won, so at the end he deserves more than me,” Cobolli said of Zverev. “But I also said he deserves it because Sascha [Zverev] is here since 10 years, and he made a lot of great results. I think he deserves a Grand Slam for what he did in his career.

“Today I felt a little bit of pressure, maybe more than him. Also, I'm happy for how I played the first final of my Grand Slam. You know, it's never easy to play for the first time on this stage, in these kind of matches.

In just his fourth appearance in Paris, Cobolli quickly became the highest-ranked Italian remaining after Lorenzo Musetti’s pre-tournament withdrawal and world No.1 Jannik Sinner’s five-set, second-round upset.

That could have been a heavy flag to carry, but Cobolli held up his end of the bargain and then some.

One of three from his nation to reach the quarterfinals in the top half, he landed a statement triumph in four sets over fourth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime before compatriot Matteo Arnaldi’s withdrawal ahead of the semifinals.

On the cusp of becoming the third Italian man to share in the Grand Slam singles spoils after Adriano Panatta and last year’s finalist, Sinner, Cobolli had already exceeded expectations in a five-set final on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

His message was loud and clear – if he’s meant to win one, his time will come.

“This is something that you cannot predict, you know, but I will try,” he said. “Like I said before, I will try and try and try, but when you reach the first final, why not the second?

“At the end, I think I deserve to be here in these weeks. Maybe not in the next 10, 15 Slams, but like I said also in the ceremony, I'm still young, so I have to do work a lot, enjoy this journey, and maybe if I work and enjoy a mix of things, maybe I will reach again the final.”