For Flavio Cobolli, the Davis Cup final in Bologna was more than a match. It felt like a homecoming — a moment shaped by years of memories, mentorship and the familiar faces cheering him on from the sidelines. As he battled Spain’s Jaume Munar, the 23-year-old wasn’t just trying to win a point or a set. He was fighting to fulfil a childhood dream: to become a world champion for Italy.
And he did it the hard way.
Cobolli clawed his way back from a set and a break down, surviving waves of pressure to carve out a gritty 1-6, 7-6 (7-5), 7-5 victory. The comeback sealed Italy’s third consecutive Davis Cup title, a feat unmatched in over half a century. It also capped an extraordinary individual week for Cobolli, who two days earlier had dragged Italy into the final by winning an epic 32-point tiebreak that will forever be part of Davis Cup folklore.
His triumph followed Matteo Berrettini’s commanding 6-3, 6-4 win over Pablo Carreno Busta, giving Italy an unassailable 2–0 lead — but their partnership runs much deeper than one Sunday afternoon.
A Bond Forged Long Before Bologna
Long before they were teammates, Cobolli and Berrettini
were family.
As a teenager, Berrettini trained under Cobolli’s father, Stefano — a former player himself. During those early days, the elder Cobolli often entrusted young Flavio to Berrettini’s watchful care. Babysitting duties for Berrettini typically meant one thing: take the kid to the tennis court.
A video that resurfaced on Italian social media shows a towering, teenage Berrettini walking off court with a tiny Cobolli in 2011 — racquets in hand, smiles effortless, the beginnings of a brotherly bond unmistakably present.
Fourteen years later, in the same country and on a far grander stage, the duo walked off a tennis court again — this time as Davis Cup champions, unbeaten in singles across the tournament.
For Cobolli, it was as emotional as it was historic.
“Like a Brother”
Cobolli often describes Berrettini as being “like a brother” to him, a guiding presence both on and off the court. On Sunday, that bond was visible in every fist pump, every sideline roar, and every encouraging glance from Berrettini as Cobolli fought to turn the match around.
And when the final point dropped, it was Berrettini who sprinted towards him first, arms wide, pride etched across his face.
A Champion Shaped by Heart
In Bologna, Cobolli didn’t just play for himself. He played for the faces in the stands — family, teammates, childhood heroes. For a team chasing history. For a nation that has embraced its tennis renaissance with fervour.
His victory embodied all the qualities that define Italy’s Davis Cup era: depth, resilience, unity, and an unshakeable belief that no match is ever out of reach.
Three years. Three titles. One unforgettable story of brotherhood and heart.
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