analysis
Flavio Cobolli is Alexander Zverev’s final opponent at the French Open. Given the abundance of world-class players from Italy, the 24-year-old is often overlooked. But his tennis is beautiful to watch, successful and could bring him the first major title of his career on Sunday.
There he sat like a heap of misery, looking over at his opponent three meters away and feeling sad that he couldn’t play in the semi-finals. No, we’re not talking about Matteo Arnaldi, who couldn’t play the match due to a virus. We’re talking about Flavio Cobolli, the first-time Grand Slam finalist and Alexander Zverev’s opponent on the Philippe Chatrier court on Sunday.
In a strange press conference on Friday evening, Arnaldi and Cobolli sat as far apart as possible. Arnaldi had to cancel the semi-finals due to a virus: “I couldn’t play, couldn’t eat, couldn’t drink anything.“The fans, who had been looking forward to an entertaining and evenly balanced semi-final, were only informed of the cancellation an hour before the start of the match.
“Matteo is a great inspiration for all of us. He is a great player and probably the most professional of all of us. How he prepares for matches, his focus during the match and how he performs after the games“, said Cobolli. These words were taken from him, the Italian is one of the more popular players on the tour. Alexander Zverev also praised his final opponent in his press conference: “He’s just a good person.“
Flavio Cobolli (l.) keeps as far away as possible from Matteo Arnaldi (r.) on the PK.
A historic opportunity for both
The friendship will take a break on Sunday in the final. For both of them, the title in Paris would be the first at one of the four majors. He has been able to test twice in the past few weeks how Cobolli has to play against Zverev.
How much can he control his nervousness? It is by far the biggest final of his career. His counterpart is in a final of this importance for the fourth time. Can he defuse the German’s serve and his outstanding backhand? Will he be able to put Zverev in trouble for the first time in this tournament, perhaps by falling behind?
Cobolli knows how to beat Zverev
This has not yet been pushed to the limit. A few weeks ago in Munich, Cobolli proved that he is capable of making life on the pitch uncomfortable for the Hamburg player. Cobolli won clearly in two sets. A few weeks later in Madrid, the spectators saw that he can also get under the wheels. There Zverev took revenge with a victory that was as sure as it was clear.
Cobolli’s game is characterized by his forehand and is certainly one of the best on the tour. He moves quickly across the pitch, is rarely in the wrong position with the ball and can therefore harass even the absolute top players. “Aesthetically” is it.
Cobolli (r.) after his semi-final victory in Munich against Zverev
Does Cobolli keep his nerves under control?
During the 14 days in Roland Garros, Cobolli appeared mostly stable. In contrast to Zverev, he had to get rid of tougher guys like Felix Auger-Aliassime, ranked fourth in Paris. However, Cobolli’s nerves sometimes play tricks.
When he almost gave up a big lead against the American Zachary Svajda in the round of 16, after converting the match point, he was able to admit with a laugh in an interview on the court that he had almost peed his pants at the end of the match.
Nerves will also play a role in the final. Can he ignore the fact that he is just one win away from a Grand Slam title? How does he deal with setbacks during this match? He is still very inexperienced in these situations. An advantage for Zverev, who has often played the big matches in the semi-finals and finals.
Zverev hardly offers any tactical weaknesses
When it comes to power, Cobolli will not intimidate Zverev with his game. In the quarterfinals against Felix Auger-Aliassime, the Italian repeatedly posed problems for his Canadian opponent, especially with his secure groundstrokes. He wanted to quickly hit the winning shot with his forehand and made mistake after mistake.
Zverev showed little weakness from the baseline in the days in Paris. There has been a lot of talk in recent months about Zverev’s new, more offensive focus. It’s still present on clay, but the 29-year-old isn’t taking the biggest risks.
Cobolli could rely on stops
Most of Team Cobolli’s analytical work will most likely be spent on how he can keep Zverev occupied in the baseline rallies. Zverev has no problems completing backhand duels over a longer period of time, his forehand is significantly less error-prone than it was a few years ago.
In the semifinals, Jakub Mensik tried to shorten the rallies and get to the points more quickly. With modest success. Zverev can expect to see many stops from his opponent in the final. His deep court position invites you to do this.
Both go into the duel in top shape
What the 24-year-old Römer can rely on is his good fitness. He wasn’t challenged to the extreme and, like Zverev, didn’t have to play a five-set match. Even the brutal heat of the first seven days didn’t hurt him.
The fans can look forward to an entertaining match on Sunday. If Cobolli wins, he will no longer be able to walk around the world’s tournament facilities without being recognized.