ATP Tour

Flavio Cobolli: Tears, a major final & a Top 10 breakthrough

Flavio Cobolli fell short of claiming Grand Slam glory on Sunday, but still earned a reward for his efforts in Paris on Monday.

When the latest edition of the PIF ATP Rankings was released, Cobolli had a special number next to his name: No. 10. The Italian became the seventh man from his country to crack the Top 10 since 1973.

Cobolli knew he would make the jump on Friday when his scheduled semi-final opponent, Matteo Arnaldi, withdrew due to illness.

“When he came to me almost one hour ago, I almost cried. You know, it's something that you don't expect at all. I was ready to play this match. When he came, I was completely sad for him,” Cobolli said on Friday. “But, at the same time, of course I'm really happy for the result that I reached this week. My dad also came to me right before him, and we had a big hug together with the whole team for achieving for the Top 10.

“Every time that I make the best ranking, we all together have a big hug. We did the same routine as always.”

It was a big breakthrough for Cobolli, who was ranked as low as World No. 20 on 1 March, barely three months ago. Before that, his previous career-high PIF ATP Ranking was No. 17, which he earned last July.

Cobolli put himself in position for such an ascent earlier this clay season by reaching an ATP 500 final in Munich and reaching an ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final in Madrid.

But the Italian’s biggest result of the year before Roland Garros came at the ATP 500 event in Acapulco, where as World No. 20 he captured the title.

The good news for Cobolli is that he is in great position to continue climbing. The World No. 10 is just 380 points behind World No. 5 Ben Shelton. Had he lifted the Coupe des Mousquetaires, that is the position he would have held.

But Cobolli now knows that the Top 10 could just be the beginning. The 24-year-old came within one set of claiming a major title on the Parisian clay.

“I will try and try and try, but when you reach the first final, why not the second?” Cobolli said. “At the end, I think I deserve to be here [after] these weeks. Maybe not in the next 10, 15 Slams, but like I said also in the ceremony, I'm still young.

“So I have to do work a lot, enjoy this journey, and maybe if I work and enjoy a mix of things, maybe I will reach again the final.”