Flavio Cobolli got an unexpected crash course in the tennis rulebook at the United Cup after a bizarre moment stopped play in its tracks. With Italy facing Switzerland, the world No. 22 was serving for the opening set against Stan Wawrinka when a second ball slipped out of his pocket and rolled onto the court mid-rally. Cobolli chose not to play the point and was immediately docked, falling behind 0-15 on his own serve. But what’s the controversy, you ask?

Hours later, Tennis TV added fuel to the debate by posting the clip on X with the caption, “Drama down under 👀.” With no let called by the umpire, Cobolli walked over in disbelief, clearly expecting the point to be replayed.

Instead, the chair umpire stood firm, explaining, “You cannot hinder yourself,” leaving fans split over a rule that doesn’t come up very often.

Cobolli was clearly frustrated by the call and made his case to the umpire, insisting, “I cannot hit the ball because the [other] ball was there.”

While players are often granted a replay for outside interruptions, the chair umpire explained that this situation was different because Cobolli stopped the point himself.

Unhappy with the explanation, Cobolli asked for tour supervisor Gerry Armstrong to come down to the court. A brief delay followed as Cobolli and Italy’s team captain (his father, Stefano) argued their side, while Stan Wawrinka calmly explained the situation to the rest of the Italian team watching courtside.

Armstrong backed up the umpire’s decision and made the rule clear. He told Cobolli, “You can’t hinder yourself,” emphasizing that the issue had nothing to do with Wawrinka. Because Cobolli chose not to play the ball, a replay was never an option.

Later, Stan Wawrinka, drawing on his experience as a former world No. 3, summed it up for his opponent. He explained that the point wasn’t lost because the ball fell out, but because Cobolli stopped playing. “So that’s the rule. That’s not because the ball out, that’s because the rule is, if you drop it, you lose the point,” he said.

Under the rules, Cobolli needed to continue the rally for the umpire to step in and possibly call a let. However, by halting play on his own, he automatically forfeited the point.

Despite the confusion and heated exchange, Cobolli had the last word on the scoreboard. The world No. 22 edged Stan Wawrinka in a dramatic three-set battle, winning 6-4, 6-7(2), 7-6(4) after nearly three hours. Interestingly, even after the match ended, commentators were still scratching their heads over a rule that rarely comes into play.

Did Stan Wawrinka hinder himself too?

One of the commentators openly admitted confusion over the rule, holding his hands up after the incident. He said he was convinced that when a ball falls out of a player’s pocket, the point is replayed the first time and only lost if it happens again. “But obviously I’m wrong,” he conceded, echoing what many fans were thinking in the moment.

Former ATP pro Ryan Harrison, now a pundit and coach, dug deeper to get clarity on the situation. He later explained that the key issue wasn’t the ball falling out, but the fact that Cobolli stopped playing on his own. According to Harrison, the umpire can only step in if the point continues.

Harrison shared what he learned on air, admitting even he didn’t fully know the rule. He said that if Cobolli had kept playing, the umpire could have ruled it a hindrance to both players and called a let. Instead, by stopping, Cobolli took the decision out of the umpire’s hands.

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“If Cobolli would have continued to play and did not stop himself, then the umpire, at that point, can say, ‘This is now a hindrance to both players’, and a let would be played,” he stated.

In the end, it became clear that stopping the point was the mistake. Once Cobolli halted play himself, the rules left no room for a replay. But what do you think? Was the rule applied fairly, or does it still feel harsh?