Flavio Cobolli reveals the game he is watching by replaying | ATP Tour
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‘What a child I was!’ Cobolli running the Top 10 reveals the game he watches over and over again
The 23-year-old will start his season on Sunday against Wawrinka in the United Cup
January 03, 2026
Getty Images for Tennis Australia
Flavio Cobolli in the water at Rottnest Island, Perth, ahead of the 2026 United Cup.
Written by Andy West
Two years is a long time in tennis, as Flavio Cobolli can attest.
At the 2024 Australian Open, the Italian arrived as an unheralded World No. 100 looking to score major points for the first time. Cobolli did just that at Melbourne Park, before defeating Nicolas Jarry in five sets to claim his first Grand Slam victory. It’s a moment he returns to again and again.
“When I have time, I watch that match,” Cobolli told ATPTour.com in Perth, as he prepares to compete on Australian soil again, this time as world No. 22 and two-time ATP Tour champion in the United Cup. “I played amazing tennis in tournaments, but I was new to the Tour, playing with Nico [Jarry] and there was a great crowd for him, not because of me.
“It was tough. Nobody knew me there and I played like a new guy on the Tour, but when I remember that time, I remember a guy who was happy on the court. Like I am now. So I try to keep this feeling in the ‘new’ part of my career as well.”
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 three weeks ago in July and August after reaching his first quarter-finals at Wimbledon.
“It was only two years ago, but I feel like I’m on tour like I wanted to be,” said Cobolli, comparing the video of him playing with Jarry in Melbourne to his current feeling. “When I look back, it’s always nice to remember these things and I don’t want to forget where I came from.
“When I look [the video]I think what kind of child I was. When I look at my games now and see where I am, I feel like I am very different from two years ago.”
In 2025, Cobolli posted a 34-27 record, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, and lifted his first ATP Tour crowns (both on clay) in Bucharest and Hamburg, respectively. That return represented a major turnaround for the Italian, who won his first two games of the year at the United Cup but by late March was 2-8 on tour as he struggled to find form and fitness.
“I know that the year 2025 has been a good year but it didn’t start the way I wanted because [after the United Cup] I didn’t win a single match until the first title in Bucharest,” said Cobolli, who this year will lead Team Italy in the group stage alongside Jasmine Paolini of WTA No. This year I am ready and in shape. We have practiced a lot, and we are ready to start.
“My goal is to be ready for the first game of the year. I love playing in this competition and playing with Jas and the other players in the team. I think we can have a great competition here.”
Proof that Flavio’s brother is the chosen man for Team Italy 🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/L0fkpUlbIF
– United Cup (@UnitedCupTennis) December 29, 2025
Cobolli and his team focused on many areas of his game in the offseason in hopes that he can surpass his career high of World No. 17 this year.
“We worked a lot on the return, because we haven’t worked that much since my return was always very good,” explained the 23-year-old player. “But at this level, for these guys who work like they do, it’s something you have to improve a lot. My serve and my volley game. These are the three things I’ve worked on the most.
“Percentage of my feed [will be important] certainly, and my game when I attack. My volley is not the best shot I have. The way I finish the volleys will be the goal this year.”
Cobolli hopes to use the stability he has gained in the Top 30 over the past seven months to play a lighter schedule with an emphasis on the Tour’s major events. With improved results in majors and ATP Masters 1000s, he believes he can reach his next level goal.
“The goal this year is to improve and play a little bit better than last year for sure,” he said ahead of his singles debut against Stan Wawrinka in Perth. “Being part of the biggest categories as much as I can. The dream is to be in the Top 10, but it’s difficult and I know there are many players who are working for that too. So it will be difficult, but if I think about myself and my team, we will see what happens. It will definitely be a good year.”
