Flavio Cobolli made an unexpected revelation following his fourth-round Wimbledon victory over Alex de Minaur: he must find accommodation for the rest of the tournament. Cobolli defeated his Australian rival in straight sets during a match halted twice due to medical emergencies among spectators.
First Man into Quarter-Finals
He becomes the first man to secure his quarter-final spot in the bottom half of the draw, where either Arthur Fery or Grigor Dimitrov will face him. For the moment, however, he must sort out somewhere to stay—preferably in time to catch the World Cup on Monday evening.
"There is World Cup, I want to see Spain vs Portugal so I think I'll go early to the house but first we have to find one because actually we don't have a house," Cobolli said in his on-court interview after the match, before asking his father Stefano if he had found somewhere for them to stay.
Chat with de Minaur During Break
The avid football fan also discussed a moment during one of the breaks when he and de Minaur sat in the shade for a conversation. "I love him, how he plays, I don't love to play with him," the No. 9 seed said with a laugh. "Out of respect we had a bit of a chat here on the break and he told me I had to respect what happened there because it's really hot, we were lucky to finish with only two [stoppages]."
This is not the first occasion Cobolli has attracted attention with an unusual post-match interview at SW19 this year. Following his win against Mariano Navone earlier in the competition, he bizarrely threatened to hit his father and coach.
Playful Threat to Father
"I cannot stop [moving my feet]. You see? I need to hit something! I think I will hit my dad now," the Italian said. He continued: "For sure. The first person that I will hit. I still don't know with what. You'll see tomorrow if he has a black thing on the face." Despite the playful threat, Cobolli and his father remain on excellent terms. The ATP No. 10 is eagerly anticipating his dad whipping up a plate of pasta with tomato and onions, provided they can find somewhere to stay first.
Match Details
His win over de Minaur was not as straightforward as the scoreline suggested. Both players traded breaks throughout, but the pivotal moment came when the Australian failed to serve out the second set. De Minaur had his fiancée Katie Boulter watching from the stands, having seen her own women's singles campaign cut short by Tyra Caterina Grant in the first round. Boulter was sporting an England football shirt, with the Three Lions having booked their place in the World Cup quarter-finals in the early hours of Monday morning following their victory against Mexico.
