Back at the BMW Open in April, Flavio Cobolli‘s runner-up speech stole almost as many headlines as the tennis itself after his playful jab at his beloved Matilde Galli. Having fallen to American Ben Shelton in the final, the Italian joked, “Also, I called yesterday my girlfriend and said, ‘Please don’t let me lose’. But she does! So maybe next final, you stay home.” Now, with a Grand Slam final just hours away, Cobolli has finally revealed whether his girlfriend will once again be cheering from the courtside of Court Philippe-Chatrier.

Recently Tennis TV reposted the clip from the BMW Open in April on its IG page, where Cobolli had jokingly blamed Galli for his loss in the final. While sharing the clip, Tennis TV added the caption, “Has she got a ticket for tomorrow, Flavio? 🤣”. 

Cobolli did not leave the question unanswered. The 10th seed replied with a short but intriguing response. “Maybe,” he commented. Galli herself also joined the conversation. Responding beneath Cobolli’s comment, she added some emoji, “😒😒😒🙃”.

The little exchange highlighted the light-hearted bond the couple has built over the years. Their relationship dates back to a time long before the Italian became one of the rising stars on the ATP Tour.

According to the Roma native, he first met Galli when he was just 18 years old. At the time, Galli was attending an event with his best friend’s sister, and the meeting proved to be a life-changing moment for both of them.

Since then, Galli has become one of his biggest supporters of the 24-year-old. Cobolli has often explained that she rarely misses one of his matches, even if it means staying awake during the middle of the night to watch him compete.

Interestingly, tennis as a game is not a major topic of discussion between them. Rather than analyzing matches or discussing tactics on the court, they focus on supporting each other in their respective pursuits.

While the Italian continues to build his career on the ATP Tour, Galli is pursuing her studies with the goal of becoming a sanitary director for a hospital in Italy. 

Unlike some of the ATP couples who travel together throughout the season, Galli frequently stays home to focus on her education. Because of that, maintaining regular communication has become especially important for the couple.

“I think we found the rhythm,” Cobolli said back in April. “But of course, I want to see her more than I see her now and to see her more at the tournaments with me. But I think the first goal for her is to finish studying and then we’ll see after college if she can come more than she does now.”

Even when Galli is not physically present at tournaments, she continues to support him from afar. She is not particularly active on social media like the current generation, especially when it comes to making her own posts, but she consistently engages with Cobolli’s content.

One recent example came three days ago, when she liked Cobolli’s IG post captioned, “Première demi-finale. Même faim 🇫🇷🙉🎾 Merci à tous 😉”. The message translates to, “First semifinal. Same hunger. 🇫🇷🙉🎾 Thank you all 😉”, reflecting his excitement and determination ahead of a major clash against a fellow Italian Matteo Arnaldi which never happened since the later one withdrew from the semis. 

Now, as Cobolli prepares for another huge moment with a subtle hint that Galli could be courtside, one thing remains clear, his girlfriend has been a constant source of encouragement and strength throughout his journey.

(More to come…)