Flavio Cobolli is quietly making noise at Wimbledon. The 23-year-old from Florence advanced to his first Grand Slam quarter-final on Monday, beating 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic in four sets: 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(4), 7-6(3).
Cobolli’s run is no shock to those who follow his progress. But amid a golden era for Italian tennis — with 11 men in the main draw — it’s easy to get overshadowed. By Day 8, only three Italians remained in the tournament. Cobolli was one of them.
Now ranked a career-high No.24, Cobolli has already lifted two ATP titles this year; in Bucharest (250) and Hamburg (500). Yet grass has never been his strongest surface. Prior to this match, he had played just 14 main-draw matches on it.
That mattered little on Centre Court, where Cobolli’s freshness and precision edged out the experience and grit of the 35-year-old Cilic. “I was always dreaming to be here,” said Cobolli after the match. “You cannot imagine my emotion right now… I started to play tennis because of these kinds of matches.”
The moment was even more special with the presence of his family. “My dad is crying right now, my brother too,” he added. “It’s a moment that I cannot forget.”
With a grin, he also said what many fans were thinking: “I hope to play on a big court this time… I think I deserve it.”
Not plain sailing on court for Cobolli
Cilic, now ranked 83rd in the world, made Cobolli work. The Croatian had spent most of the past 18 months in recovery after a knee injury in early 2023 derailed his career. A deep online search eventually led him to a Chicago-based orthopaedic surgeon who gave him a second chance.
He clawed his way back through the Challenger circuit, and showed flashes of his best form, particularly in the third set. Cilic tightened his game, saved break points, and forced a tie-break to stay in the match.
But Cobolli remained composed. Though Cilic landed 19 aces to Cobolli’s 11, the Italian was more efficient on break points and held his nerve when it mattered. After over three hours of play, it was Cobolli who closed it out in the fourth-set tie-break.
He now stands two matches away from the Wimbledon final, an extraordinary milestone for a player who not long ago was a fringe contender. With Italy cheering him on and the tennis world beginning to take notice, Cobolli’s Wimbledon journey is no longer under the radar.
At the time of writing, Lorenzo Sonego is entering a fourth set against American Ben Shelton. Jannick Sinner is scheduled to play later this evening.
