Wimbledon star Flavio Cobolli copied Matheus Cunha's trademark celebration after a bet with his tennis coach. The Italian seventh seed took on Karen Khachanov on Court One on Saturday. After falling a set behind, he staged a dramatic victory to win 3-2. To celebrate his success, he produced a rendition of Cunha's 'surfing' celebration.
Bet Inspired by World Cup Viewing
Asked why he chose to copy the Brazilian, Cobolli revealed that his attempt came after watching the United forward in action at the World Cup. “It was a bet with my coach,” he said. “We were watching the World Cup and this is the Brazilian striker [Cunha] that I love to repeat.”
The official Wimbledon Instagram account posted a clip of Cobolli's celebration, with Cunha himself replying: "Love that @Flavio_Cobbo". Cobolli followed up with his own post: "Into the second week... Cunha's way."
Cunha's Career and Celebration Meaning
Cunha, 27, signed for Manchester United in a £62.5m move from Wolverhampton Wanderers last summer and scored ten goals in 35 appearances across his debut campaign. He has also represented Atletico Madrid, Hertha Berlin, and RB Leipzig. Cunha has 27 caps for Brazil and has scored four goals, two of which came during the World Cup in a 3-0 win against Haiti.
Explaining his trademark celebration, he said: “Surfing has become a big part of my life. To bring this into football and show everyone how happy I am to play football and surf, I have to do it.”
Upcoming Matches for Cunha and Cobolli
Cunha is set to be back in action on Sunday evening as Brazil take on Norway in the last-16 of the World Cup. He could find himself on the bench, with boss Carlo Ancelotti having announced that Brazil icon Neymar is fit to play the full game. Ancelotti said: “Neymar can play 90 minutes… and he can play with Vinicius Jr. I think they will play together.” Should Brazil win, they will face either England or Mexico in the quarter-finals.
Meanwhile, Cobolli will continue his Wimbledon journey against fifth seed Alex de Minaur in the round of 16 on Monday. The Italian has already overcome Mariano Navone and James Duckworth on his route to the last 16.
