Granollers and Zeballos, after winning Roland Garros: "At 40 years old, if there is no passion, it is very complicated"

Pedro de Pablos | 6 Jun 2026 | 13.12

Granollers and Zeballos, after winning Roland Garros: "At 40 years old, if there is no passion, it is very complicated." Source: Getty Images.

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Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos have achieved their second consecutive Roland Garros title by comfortably defeating Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten on Saturday morning. At 40 and 41 years old respectively, the Spanish-Argentinian duo is experiencing their best moment together, and they highlighted in a press conference that their love for tennis is the key to their success.

It shouldn't be forgotten that both have had a long career where it has been challenging to reach this point. Years and years of sacrifice, of falling and getting back up, have taught them a great deal of lessons to be where they are today. In fact, they lost the first 3 Grand Slam finals they played together, but far from being discouraged, they used it as motivation to win 3 out of the last 5 majors that have been contested.

Granollers and Zeballos acknowledge they came to Roland Garros without expectations

"When we came here, I wasn't expecting to defend last year's title. I was just trying to think about each match, and I think Marcel was too, but now we can say that it's been two incredible weeks. I couldn't be happier and prouder right now. It's an incredible feeling for us and for the whole team. I think the entire team deserves this moment. We are very happy with how we played over the two weeks. I think it's very difficult to defend a title in a Grand Slam. So yes, we are super happy."

Effort and sacrifice to win another Grand Slam

"Ultimately, being here another year and maintaining the highest level at our age demonstrates the commitment we have every day and the work behind it. Not just tennis-wise, but also mentally. We focus a lot on the day-to-day aspects on the court. What can I do to improve my volley, my baseline game? How to keep hitting the ball hard? All the things that are under our control. We can't decide if we'll win the last point. But we know that if we are well-prepared, if we are strong physically, mentally strong, if we are good in terms of our tennis, we will have those chances."

Level displayed in the final

"We talked about it with Horacio after the match ended. What a level we showed today, so high. And how important the mental aspect is. When we hadn't won any Grand Slam titles, we felt that on our shoulders. And it sometimes made us not play our game. Winning the first was very important to be on the court today and perform at this level."

Granollers and Zeballos talk about their love for tennis

"When you have a passion for what you do, that youthfulness never fades away. I love tennis, I love watching tennis, I love watching all the matches. I love going to practice and trying to get better every time. And that is fundamental for whatever anyone does in their life. With the 40 years that we have, if there's no passion, this really becomes very challenging. We are enjoying our third youth."

Ambition for Wimbledon

"We will try to win the next Grand Slam and the one after that for sure, but I am already very calm because I give my all every day. That's the most important thing for me, beyond a result. We will now enjoy this, go home, and head to Wimbledon with the utmost enthusiasm to have a great tournament."

Managing emotions after winning their third Grand Slam together

"It's not normal because we have experienced not achieving it, and it has been very tough for us. We have been at the doorstep many times and have had moments of disillusionment, so it's not normal and we value it immensely. In the end, you grow up wanting to be a singles player, but the tennis career takes you down different paths."

Granollers and Zeballos explain why they decided to focus on doubles play

"I think we made a good decision because when our careers end, we will have Grand Slam titles that we wouldn't have had otherwise. It was a way to rejuvenate within this career, and I am really grateful for the decision I made with myself, my family, my team, and now we are enjoying this moment."

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Granollers y Zeballos, tras ganar Roland Garros: "Con 40 años, si no hay pasión, es muy complicado"

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