First the promise, then the tears. Flavio Cobolli had already said everything the day before, entrusting social media with a thought that went beyond tennis. After the victory against Kopriva, the Roman tennis player dedicated the success to Mattia Maselli, the 13-year-old boy who had passed away a few hours earlier. And on the pitch, against Alexander Zverev, that promise became reality.
The dedication after Kopriva: “I will play for you”
In the message published after the previous round, Cobolli had chosen words full of affection, remembering Mattia Maselli as a cheerful boy, full of energy and with a great desire to learn. A continuous thought, transformed into a precise promise: to carry it with you in every point played, in every step taken on the pitch.
A bond that arises from the daily life of tennis school and which, suddenly, transforms into something bigger, impossible to leave outside the court.
The gesture towards the sky and the crying
At the end of the semi-final win, Cobolli can’t hold back his emotion. He points to the sky, then covers his face with the towel and bursts into tears. It’s the moment when everything stops: the final won, the audience, the result.
Only that thought remains, addressed to Mattia Maselli, a young competitor who tragically passed away, who accompanies the tennis player even on the day of his sporting achievement.
The final takes second place
On a technical level, the victory against Zverev earned Cobolli access to the final stage of the Munich tournament. A solid performance, which confirms the Roman’s growth on the circuit.
But on a day like this, tennis matters up to a certain point. Because every point played already had a different meaning. And that promise, made the day before, remained there, kept until the last shot.