Flavio Cobolli wasted no time in arranging his journey home immediately after his quarter-final defeat to British wildcard Arthur Fery at Wimbledon, booking the earliest possible flight back to Rome before even meeting the press. The Italian ninth seed was comprehensively outplayed on Centre Court, losing 6-4 7-6 (7-4) 6-0 in a match that lasted just over two hours.
Cobolli's Disappointment and Quick Exit
Cobolli admitted he felt overwhelmed by the occasion and his opponent's performance. "I came here too early. I felt my body still on the court. The emotions are still there," he said. "It's tough to talk also for me that I always have a smile on my face, also when I lose. Maybe today I don't sleep really well, also because I have the flight very early. I already took it."
The 22-year-old Italian added: "I want to go home straight and fast as possible. Of course, from tomorrow I will reset my mind." He plans to take two days off with his girlfriend to recover mentally from the loss.
Prize Money and Achievements
Despite the defeat, Cobolli returns to Italy with a £480,000 prize money cheque for reaching the quarter-finals, along with lifetime Wimbledon passes as a member of the exclusive final-eight fraternity. "Still, like I said before, I'm a quarter-finalist of a Grand Slam, so I have to be happy about myself," he reflected.
Cobolli's Analysis of the Match
Cobolli acknowledged that Fery's game was perfectly suited to the conditions. "I felt the game of Arthur was really good for him, the way that I played, and I think the perfect game for him," he said. "I think that I didn't play good since the first point of the match. Maybe I was a little bit nervous. Maybe I felt the pressure that normally I don't feel."
He also admitted that the weight of expectation may have affected him: "Play a quarter-final against a guy that already played marathon match, many hours on court, ranking lower than me, so I felt like it was a chance to have a good day for me today. Maybe, like my team says, I wasn't so humble since the first point, but I felt that it wasn't my day. But still quarter-final in Grand Slam, so I'm still happy."
Fery's Historic Achievement
Arthur Fery becomes only the second wildcard in Wimbledon history to reach a semi-final, following in the footsteps of Nick Kyrgios in 2014. He will face second seed Alexander Zverev on Friday. "I can't believe it, it's incredible playing on Centre Court for the second time, the second win," said Fery.
