Flavio Cobolli has reached a new milestone, climbing to a career-high 17th in the ATP rankings. Flavio has won two ATP titles this season and backed them with his first Major quarter-final at Wimbledon.
The 23-year-old Italian reflected on his recent progress following the second-round victory in Toronto. In addition, Flavio shared thoughts on facing his idol, Novak Djokovic in two contrasting matches.
The young gun met his idol in Shanghai last year and claimed only three games after staying on the court for just over an hour. Flavio could not find his rhythm and hold nerves.
However, he was ready to challenge his idol at Wimbledon a couple of weeks ago. Embracing his deepest run at Majors, Cobolli challenged Djokovic for over three hours in a 6-7, 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 loss on Centre Court.
More composed and confident, Flavio pushed himself to play freely on one of tennis' grandest stages. The Italian delivered what he described as one of his finest performances despite the defeat.
The young gun struggled behind the second serve and got broken six times. On the other hand, he seized both break points to push the seven-time champion to the limits.
Despite giving his everything, Flavio admitted it was tough to challenge Novak at Majors. Beyond that memorable duel, the 23-year-old credited his resurgencein 2025 to mental and tactical changes following a tough injury period.
Flavio has been training harder, trusting his father and embracing a renewed mindset. The effort has paid off, pushing him into the top-20 and making him a contender for notable titles in the future.
"Novak has been my idol since I started to play tennis. We played in Shanghai last year, and it was a disaster, as I lost 6-1, 6-2 in 45 minutes. I was nervous during that match, and I had more confidence when we met a few weeks ago at Wimbledon.
I believed in myself and tried to play my game and be happy on the court. It was one of my best matches ever. I did not win, but it's never easy against Novak at Majors.
I'm happy with my Wimbledon run and my results in 2025, especially after it started tight due to my injury. I changed my game and mind, and now I'm thrilled to compete at this stage.
I'm training harder than before and listening to what my coach says, which has led to improvements," Flavio Cobolli said.
