At almost the exact time Flavio Cobolli and Matteo Arnaldi had been scheduled to take to Court Philippe-Chatrier on Friday and contest the match of their lives, they could instead be located in the bowels of the stadium, their faces a picture of total misery inside the main interview room at Roland Garros.
If not for the seriousness of the situation, with Arnaldi forced to withdraw from his first grand slam semi-final due to a virus that had overwhelmed his body overnight, it would have been a comical sight. Somebody behind the scenes was not exactly of sound mind when they decided it was a good idea for Cobolli to sit next to an individual with a viral illness two days before his grand slam final.
As he left the interview room and headed straight for a practice session inside the stadium court, Cobolli’s focus had already shifted. Only a battle royale with the second seed, Alexander Zverev, remains and both will be attempting to win their first grand slam. It is difficult to say whether not playing on Friday will be an advantage or additional challenge for Cobolli.
In a tournament when so many players push themselves past their physical limits in the desperate hope of a rare slam run, the benefit of extra rest is invaluable. However, as Cobolli explained, players establish a rhythm over the course of a slam fortnight and competing every other day helps to maintain their toughness and timing. Successfully handling the nerves that come with contesting a semi-final is also at least some sort of preparation for the potentially suffocating pressure of a major final.
Regardless, this is a significant milestone for Cobolli, a charismatic, extroverted player who has been searching for a breakthrough for some time. There is no doubt Cobolli belongs here. He is one of the best athletes on the tour armed with one of the most destructive forehands. The Italian is also an excellent returner with a sweet kick-serve that works brilliantly on clay and he is gradually building a more well-rounded, all-court game. The challenge for Cobolli has been putting his game together in the biggest matches with enough focus, toughness and consistency to match the top players.
His match management, particularly in light of the surrounding chaos, has been the most impressive aspect of his run here. As the carnage unfolded throughout the top half, with so many top seeds losing early and others being dragged into gruelling five-setters, Cobolli was the one performing at a high level, closing out matches efficiently and ready to take his opportunity.
Cobolli’s best achievements to date have included an excellent quarter-final run at Wimbledon last year and two ATP 500 titles and a career-high ranking of 12. Most significant was the instrumental role he played in Italy retaining their Davis Cup title last November despite Jannik Sinner’s absence, with Cobolli winning all three of his knockout matches. At 24, reaching the final here is clearly an enormous step up.
The pair have faced each other twice during this clay season, with Cobolli getting his first victory over Zverev in the semi-finals of Munich in April before Zverev defeated him in Madrid. Last year here, Zverev won in straight sets and is the clear favourite to finally win his first grand slam title. But it is also beneficial for Cobolli that he knows what to expect against his German rival, and he knows how to beat him.
It was not always clear tennis would be Cobolli’s chosen sport. Football was his first love and during his youth he played both sports at a high level until he had to decide between them. He was talented enough in football to play with many future top professionals who remain his friends, including Riccardo Calafiori, Edoardo Bove and Nicola Zalewski.
While some in similar positions often make choices based on pragmatism, such as the sport they are most likely to succeed at, Cobolli says he was guided by his preference for competing alone on the court. No stage in tennis tests a players’ ability to maintain their composure, manage tension and produce their best level under suffocating pressure while solitary on a vast stadium court during a grand slam final. His first will reveal much about him as a player and where he is heading.
