Flavio Cobolli broke into the Top 100 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings in October after winning his second ATP Challenger Tour title. At 21 years old, he reached the quarterfinals of the ATP 250 in Munich in April, before debuting in his first main draw at Roland Garros, where he faced Carlos Alcaraz in the opening round. The Florence-born player is one of two Italians competing in the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM.
But what is Cobolli like off the track? ATPTour.com talks to No. 100 about what a perfect day without tennis would be like, his passion for football and much more…
If you could have dinner with three people, who would it be?
I would invite Daniele De Rossi, a great footballer from Rome. Also to Cristiano Ronaldo and Novak Djokovic, because I started playing tennis because of him and because of Fabio Fognini. I know Fabio, so I would choose Novak.
Describe a perfect day, if you don’t play tennis.
I would sleep for a long time. Then I would go out with my girlfriend. I would play paddle tennis with my friends and a game of soccer. I would go to the field to see AS Roma. I have a tattoo of them.
If you had to choose between going to a concert or a sporting event, which would you choose and why?
A sporting event. My favorite sport outside of tennis is soccer, but I don’t like watching tennis. So if I could choose between a tennis match or a soccer match, I would go watch soccer.
Do you remember the Euro Cup that Italy won two years ago?
Of course, I saw the first game because I was in Rome and the others were on television.
If you weren’t a tennis player, what would you like to do?
I would be a footballer or a firefighter.
Did you play soccer when you were younger?
I started playing tennis when I was two years old and then switched to soccer. When I played soccer as a child, I played four days a week and tennis two. Then I stuck to tennis when I was 14. If I had continued, maybe I would be playing in Serie A now. (Laughs).
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What is the most interesting thing you have done in your life?
Jump into a pool from 15 meters.
Who are your best friends on the circuit?
My best friend is Matteo Gigante. We started playing tennis at the same time. I miss him here. The situation with Luca Nardi is the same, we started playing at the same time and he is also a great friend.
What have you learned this year on the circuit?
I learned many things, but the most important thing is hard work every day. Because if you stop five hours, you stop a day, you lose a day.
Source: https://www.atptour.com/es/news/cobolli-jeddah-2023-fun-feature
