The Cobolli Tragedy: Injury and Tears—Matteo Berrettini’s Beautiful Gesture

Flavio Cobolli’s run at the Erste Bank Open, the ATP 500 tournament in Vienna, could not have ended any worse: the Italian tennis player—ranked No. 2 in Italy and No. 6 in the world—was forced to withdraw due to an injury, most likely a muscle strain, at the end of the first set of his all-Italian matchup against Matteo Berrettini in the tournament’s round of 16.

Cobolli, who had already seemed to be struggling from the very start, managed to hold on until 2-2 (saving two break points) before losing three games in a row and throwing in the towel. Back on the sidelines, he broke down in tears of relief, with Berrettini immediately trying to console him, knowing firsthand how much physical problems can impact an athlete’s career.

Cobolli’s defeat risks ruining a season finale in which great things were expected of the 2002-born player, who was very close to qualifying for the ATP Finals—to be held in Turin from November 15 to 22—and had been selected by Filippo Volandri to represent Italy in the Davis Cup Finals scheduled for November 24–29.

Fans are hoping the problem is less serious than it initially appeared—even to Cobolli himself. Only the medical tests he undergoes will reveal exactly what happened and confirm—or rule out—the need for a painful withdrawal right at the climax of this season finale.