The online abuse Coco Gauff received at the China Open showed the tennis community how vulnerable players are. Discussions about player safety have raged on on various platforms, but that has not stopped the abuse, which has now found a new target- Flavio Cobolli. While the Italian gave his best against Adrian Mannarino in his first match at the Shanghai Masters, he was met with a vile message after the loss.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
“Forget the Finals,” said one online comment, which was shared by Cobolli’s father, Stefano Cobolli, on Instagram. “Your son should get cancer and die.”
The comment was enough for any coach to take a stand for his player, especially when the coach in question was also the player’s father. Cobolli’s father defended his son passionately, calling out the abuser. He made a plea for more responsible behavior on social media while highlighting the rigors of a professional athlete’s life.
“I usually try to delete these comments without giving them attention — and there are so many of them,” said Stefano Cobolli on Instagram. “But something has to be done.” “We are strong, we are athletes, and we overcome obstacles much greater than an Instagram comment. But there are many people who could suffer because of this, and that isn’t right.”
Cobolli is not the only player suffering from this fate. With tennis a sport heavily bet on, frustrated bettors always turn their attention to players when results lead to a significant financial loss. ATP pro Mark Lajal received death threats that even targeted his family after the Estonian lost a Challenger-level match this year.
Back in 2024, Rinki Hijikata had a similar experience after the Australian lost a Challenger match in Acapulco, after which a host of abusive messages flooded the player’s social media accounts. WTA players have faced the same, if not more, abuse, with threats of violence against Renata Zarazua surfacing this year, while Italian pro Lucrezia Stefanini got threatened by individuals who had accessed personal information about the player.
While the WTA has the Threat Matrix, the ATP has its own measure of dealing with online abuse as well. The Safe Sport initiative, launched in 2024, enabled the ATP to provide AI-backed services to the Top-250 players, helping scan millions of social media messages and flag those deemed abusive. The system uncovered over 162,000 abusive messages in its first year of operation and managed to hide the most severe ones from the intended players.
The suggestion made by Cobolli’s father about staying away from social media might be easier said than done, given the current role of social media in brand deals and player endorsements. The Italian, however, might be open to adopting the idea, something he has already done this year once.
Flavio Cobolli Had Made the Decision to Stay Away From Social Media Earlier This Year
Having made a difficult start to the season with a four-match losing streak, Cobolli identified the overuse of Instagram and TikTok as one of the main reasons for his inability to hold focus. The Italian took the step of moving away from the virtual world for a couple of weeks, a move he stated was essential for his mental health.
“Sometimes you have to do it, because being on your phone all the time isn’t good for your health,” said Cobolli in a press conference. “So I set aside Instagram and TikTok for two weeks. No doubt I’ll return to them.”
The move proved its worth as the Italian began to win, reaching the semifinals in Delray Beach and then clinching the title in Acapulco. Cobolli’s strongest stretch of the season came during the clay court phase, where the Italian reached the final in Munich, the quarterfinal in Madrid, and capped it all off with a runner-up finish at the French Open.
Having ended his Asian swing with an opening round defeat in Shanghai, Cobolli will look to get a strong end to the season on the indoor hard courts. The Italian is well placed at No. 5 in the race rankings, and one final push will help him qualify for the ATP Finals, where the fans will be hopeful for a home favorite after Jannik Sinner’s withdrawal.