“I always played freely and now it’s not easy, because Jannik is not here.” That is what Flavio Cobolli said about Jannik Sinner at the Cincinnati Open this year. It’s not easy to play with all the spotlight on you, and Cobolli was finding it firsthand as he had to carry the mantle for Italian men’s tennis in the absence of the five-time Major champion. However, the World No. 6 has made it to the ATP Finals in Turin, his first time at the competition, but he did not forget to give Sinner his due credit for his on-court accomplishments.
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“Well first of all I hope to bring Jannik’s name to the top because he deserved to be here with me,” said Cobolli during a Sky Sports interview at the ATP Finals.
Cobolli is not wrong in saying so, as Sinner had amassed a 44-3 win-loss record when he played his last match against Alexander Zverev at the Wimbledon final. The former World No.1 had won five straight Masters 1000 titles and had already collected over 7000 points on the ATP Race Rankings. Even if Sinner had skipped all the events between Wimbledon and the ATP Finals, he would have still made the cut, as only Zverev could go past his points tally at the end of the season on the Race Rankings.
Not to mention Sinner’s record on indoor hard courts, as the Italian has won ten titles on the surface, including winning the ATP Finals in the last two years. However, with the World No. 2 ending his season early with a knee injury, the organizers at the Inalpi Arena would have been desperate for an Italian player to make it to the Tour Finals, to draw the local crowds, something which Cobolli has achieved.
While he has given Sinner the due credit he deserves, Cobolli’s own season in 2026 has not been any short of exemplary. The World No.6 has a 36-24 record for the year, which includes a title run in Acapulco, while also having two other runner-up finishes. The ATP Finals won’t be the first time that Cobolli will have to take up the role of the leading Italian man, having done so already at the French Open this year. With Sinner having an early exit at Roland Garros, his compatriot took up the responsibility to keep the Italian charge going in Paris, reaching the final, where he lost a five-set thriller against Zverev.
If one were to pay attention to Cobolli’s interviews, one would find that he has always been gracious towards his compatriots. Back in Paris, he held a joint press conference alongside Matteo Arnaldi, when the latter had to pull out before the duo’s semifinal clash due to illness. Not to forget his emotional scene with Matteo Berrettini at the Vienna Open, where Cobolli broke down in tears in his countryman’s arms after having to retire from the match with an injury.
It’s not one-way either, as was shown by Berrettini’s gesture towards Cobolli in Vienna. Even Sinner himself reached out to Cobolli and offered his best regards to his compatriot in light of the injury. While he has made it to Turin, injuries and a tough group will not make it easy for the home favorite, who will be motivated to have a deep run at the Tour Finals.
Flavio Cobolli Has a Tough Group at the ATP Finals
Coming into the indoor season, Cobolli was on a four-match losing streak, which started with his third-round exit against Alexander Blockx at the US Open. The Italian did not have a great Asian swing but found some form indoors, reaching the semifinals in Lyon. He could not keep up the momentum due to his injury-related retirement in Vienna.
Even though Cobolli’s immediate update after the injury was optimistic, the Italian still decided to skip the Paris Masters, which was a gamble, given how tight the Race Rankings were. It did pay off, and the home fans will hope that the World No. 6 got the added rest to be at his best in Turin. Easier said than done, as Cobolli was drawn in the Ivan Lendl group along with Carlos Alcaraz, Frances Tiafoe, and Daniil Medvedev.
Cobolli has a combined 2-7 record against the other players in his group, winning one match each against Tiafoe and Medvedev. Overall, the Italian has a 6-18 win-loss record against the rest of the field, and will need to be in his top form if he wishes to make a deep run at the Tour Finals.