Meet Flavio Cobolli: Five things to know about Djokovic's next Shanghai opponent

Flavio Cobolli has enjoyed one of the biggest rises of any player during the 2024 season and on Tuesday, he will get to test just how far he has come.

The Italian, who is at a career-high No. 30 in the PIF ATP Rankings, will face 99-time tour-level titlist Novak Djokovic in the third round of the Rolex Shanghai Masters. Before the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting, ATPTour.com looks at five things to know about the 22-year-old Cobolli.

Flavio dreamt of facing Novak
While Cobolli has a great relationship with fellow Italians like Fabio Fognini, he idolised Djokovic.

“He’s my idol since when I started to play tennis. I grew up with his videos, his matches and now I’m still going to bed, to sleep with his shots [in my mind],” Cobolli said after defeating Stan Wawrinka Monday in the Shanghai second round. “It’s a great thing to play against him and I want to enjoy every point I will do on this court.”

The Italian will try to secure the first Top 10 win of his career. He will arrive on court with an 0-7 record against the elite group.

He has broken through in 2024
Last year, Cobolli stepped onto the big stage when he competed in the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF. But in 2024, he has taken his game to a whole new level.

Entering the year, Cobolli had never climbed higher than World No. 95 and owned just six tour-level wins. This season alone has has earned 34 tour-level victories, won at least one match at all four majors and advanced to his first ATP Tour final in Washington.

“I was shaking, shaking for all the time. I can't describe the emotion because it's my first time everywhere,” Cobolli said after defeating Ben Shelton to reach the final. “Every tournament is my first time. Every match is my first time. I can prove I can learn from every match.”

Flavio’s father was a professional and is now his coach
Stefano Cobolli, Flavio’s father, climbed to No. 236 in the PIF ATP Rankings. Ironically, he owns a win against Wawrinka, whom his son defeated Monday in Shanghai.

Stefano is now Flavio’s coach. However, their professional partnership only began when Flavio was 17.

“He always told me, ‘You have to improve alone. You have to make your life alone, and then I will help you later’,” Cobolli recalled. “‘I’d like to make this work so I can help you later, when you are ready.”

His close friend is a star football player
Cobolli is a huge AS Roma fan. One of his best friends, Edoardo Bove, played for the team. The Italians met when they were seven, played football together and have been close ever since.

Bove is currently competing for Fiorentina, on loan from Roma.

“We keep in touch every day. We have a big relationship. Also, when I'm home, we go to make dinner with our girlfriends, so we have a good relationship also with his family. When I win a match, his father is the first to write to me,” Cobolli said. “We started with tennis, because he was a tennis player also. And then we met in Trigoria, the place where Roma practises.”

Cobolli likes tattoos and has many
The Italian has several tattoos — some visible while he competes, and some not. One of his most meaningful tattoos is a quote from his idol, football legend and until last month AS Roma manager Daniele De Rossi. It reads: “Sei tu l unica mia sposa sei tu I unico mio amor”.

In English, that means: “You are my only wife, you are my only love”. That is a saying De Rossi would put on his captain’s armband when he was a player.

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Other tattoos include the saying “going for the win” in Italian, others in Chinese meaning “brave” and “passion”, the wolf of Roma and the symbol of Florence. He also has mountains and what he calls a “grumpy face”.

Coblli added: “I like to make tattoos, because I like [having] my body painted, and so there is no reason about that. I just like it. I wake up and I go.”

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