Player Features
‘What a kid I was!’ Top 10-chasing Cobolli reveals the match he watches on repeat
23-year-old will begin his season on Sunday against Wawrinka at the United Cup
January 03, 2026
Getty Images for Tennis Australia
Flavio Cobolli in the water off Rottnest Island, Perth, ahead of the 2026 United Cup.
By Andy West
Two years is a long time in tennis, as Flavio Cobolli can testify.
At the 2024 Australian Open, the Italian arrived as an unheralded World No. 100 who was bidding to qualify for the main draw at a major for the first time. Cobolli did just that at Melbourne Park, before defeating Nicolas Jarry in a five-set epic to earn his maiden main draw Grand Slam triumph. It is a moment he returns to again and again.
“When I have time, I watch that match,” Cobolli told ATPTour.com in Perth, where he is preparing to compete on Australian soil once again, this time as the World No. 22 and a two-time ATP Tour champion at the United Cup. “I played great tennis in qualies, but I was new on the Tour. I played against Nico [Jarry] and there was a big crowd for him, not for me.
“It was tight. No one knew me there and I played like a new guy on the Tour, but when I remember that moment, I remember a guy that was happy on the court. Like I am now. So I’m trying to keep this feeling in the ‘new’ part of my career also.”
The ‘new’ part of his career that Cobolli refers to has seen him emerge as a consistent Top 30 player in the PIF ATP Rankings. The Italian even broke the Top 20 for a three-week stint last July and August after reaching his maiden major quarter-final at Wimbledon.
“It was only two years ago, but I feel I am now on the Tour like I wanted,” said Cobolli, comparing the video of him taking on Jarry in Melbourne to his current feeling. “When I look back, it’s always great to remember these things and I don’t want to forget where I’ve come from.
“When I watch [the video], I think what a kid I was. When I watch my matches now and I see where I am, I feel like I’m very different from two years ago.”
In 2025, Cobolli racked up a 34-27 record, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, and lifted his first two ATP Tour crowns (both on clay) in Bucharest and Hamburg, respectively. That return represented a significant turnaround for the Italian, who won his first two matches of the year at the United Cup but by late March was 2-8 at tour-level as he struggled for form and fitness.
“I know that 2025 was a great year, but it didn’t start how I wanted because [after the United Cup] I didn’t win a match until the first title in Bucharest,” said Cobolli, who this year will spearhead Team Italy’s group-stage bid alongside WTA No. 8 Jasmine Paolini. “The goal for this year is to be ready to start the season like I want, because last year I was injured also. This year I’m ready and in shape. We have practised a lot, and we are ready to start.
“The goal for me is to be ready for the first match of the year. I love to play in this competition and play with Jas and the other players in the team. I think we can have a great competition here.”
Proof that Flavio’s brother is Team Italy’s designated hype man 🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/L0fkpUlbIF
— United Cup (@UnitedCupTennis) December 29, 2025
Cobolli and his team focused on several areas of his game in the offseason in the hope he can push past his career high of World No. 17 this year.
“We worked a lot on the return, because we haven’t worked a lot on it as my return has always been very good,” explained the 23-year-old. “But with this level, with these guys that serve as they do, it’s a thing you have to improve a lot. Also my serve and my volley game. These are the three things that I worked on a lot.
“The percentage of my serve [will be important] for sure, and my game when I attack. My volley is not the best shot that I have. The way I finish volleys is going to be a goal for this year.”
Cobolli hopes to use the relative stability he has found inside the Top 30 over the past seven months to play a lighter schedule with an emphasis on the Tour’s biggest events. With improved results at the majors and the ATP Masters 1000s, he believes he can make it to his next rankings goal.
“The goal for this year is to improve and to play a little bit less than last year for sure,” he said ahead of his opening singles match against Stan Wawrinka in Perth. “To be part of the big stages as much as I can. The dream is to be Top 10, but it’s tough and I know there are many players that are working for that also. So it’s going to be tough, but when I think about myself and my team, we will see what happens. For sure it’s going to be a great year.”
