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Cobolli on studying from Alcaraz and leaving McDonald’s
The rising Italian was a substitute for Group Europe on the Laver Cup
September 23, 2024
Gerald Matzka/Getty Photos for Laver Cup
Group Europe’s Flavio Cobolli and Carlos Alcaraz joke with Group World’s Ben Shelton throughout the Laver Cup.
By Andy West
Good issues come to those that wait.
Flavio Cobolli has reaped the rewards of that philosophy on the ATP Tour this yr. The 22-year-old Italian has had a breakthrough 2024, successful 31 of his 37 tour-level matches and climbing into the highest 30 within the PIF ATP Rankings. For somebody who had gained simply six tour-level matches earlier than the season, that’s important progress.
“Since I used to be younger, I mentioned to myself, ‘You’re good at tennis. You are able to do effectively on this sport. Keep calm, take your time and be affected person as a result of the outcomes will come,'” Cobolli informed ATPTour.com. “This yr, the outcomes got here, so I am completely satisfied.”
Cobolli loved a further reward for his breakthrough season on the ATP Tour final week when he joined Group Europe as an alternative choice to their profitable Laver Cup marketing campaign in Berlin. Simply eight months after breaking into the Prime 100 of the PIF ATP Rankings for the primary time, Cobolli spent every week in Berlin, rubbing shoulders and coaching with the likes of Bjorn Borg, Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev.
“I realized so much from the fellows. They’re nice,” Cobolli mentioned in Berlin. “I did not know anybody right here [except Alcaraz]however from the primary day I got here right here, they handled me effectively. They helped me so much. They gave me some ideas for the long run, for the remainder of the season. They’re very sort and I loved this week.
“I knew Carlos effectively. We’re the identical age and know one another very effectively. We have now relationship. I choose to speak about different issues than tennis with him, however I requested [Grigor] Dimitrov many issues, and Zverev. Guys who’ve a bit extra expertise. After all Carlos is already a legend of our sport, however we choose to speak about soccer or different issues for now!”
After impressing however narrowly lacking out on a semi-final end on the 2023 Subsequent Gen ATP Finals introduced by PIF final November, Cobolli spent the low season coaching with Alcaraz, a follow he credit as key to his spectacular rise this yr.
“I’ve put in a number of work in preparation for the season,” he mentioned. “We have labored onerous to enhance my sport and my [mentality]. We went with Carlos to the Ferrero Academy in Villena. We did a number of work, had enjoyable collectively and I feel beginning the season like this helped me so much for the outcomes. I realized so much from his staff and I received good outcomes after that pre-season.”
Thomas Enqvist, Grigor Dimitrov, Carlos Alcaraz and Flavio Cobolli of Team Europe at the Laver Cup.” style=”width:100%;” src=”https://www.atptour.com/-/media/images/news/ 2024/09/23/20/51/cobolli-alcaraz-dimitrov-laver-cup-2024.jpg”>
Photo credits: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images.
Cobolli’s first event of the year was the Australian Open, where he had to qualify for a place in the main draw. He succeeded and reached the third round in Melbourne, which proved to be a decisive and crucial confidence booster.
“I was one of them [of the main draw] for the tournament so I was really [disappointed]”, he recalled. “But I qualified and then won against [Nicolas] Jarry in five sets, so that match meant a lot to me. I also beat Felix [Auger-Aliassime] in February in Acapulco. It was a very good time for my career.”
Alongside Alcaraz, Cobolli’s full-time presence on the ATP Tour has led him to cross paths with another former world No. 1 and Grand Slam champion. In Barcelona in April, he was drawn to face Rafael Nadal in the Spaniard’s first competitive match in more than three months.
Facing Nadal in front of an adoring home crowd was always going to be a tough ask, with the 22-time major champion winning 6-2, 6-3. Still, Cobolli stuck to his philosophy of remaining patient in the face of tough times, and he believes he learned a lot from the experience.
“Playing with Rafa is another level,” Cobolli said. “I’ve watched him on TV since I was a kid and when the draw came I said, ‘I don’t know if I want to play with him because I don’t know if I deserve it. I don’t know if I’m ready.’ Of course, I was a little nervous at the beginning, even throughout the match.
“It was a good experience. I enjoyed every point I did with him, and of course I learned from that match. Things that helped me in the weeks that followed.”
Cobolli, who reached his first tour-level final in Washington last month, will now compete in another hardcourt ATP 500, the China Open in Beijing. As he nears the end of his first full season on the tour, is there a key lesson he has learned from spending more time with the world’s best players?
“I think not only the Top 5 players in the world, but also the Top 50, they are really professional and they never miss anything,” he said. “They spend a lot of time recovering their body and healing it well. All the training sessions they do are 100 percent. At the beginning of the year it wasn’t like that for me. I was doing 70 or 80 percent, I was eating McDonald’s. Now it’s changed after watching them. I changed it.”