At last weekend’s Laver Cup in London, Team Europe not only took home the trophy, but also won the battle of the benches, becoming the most meme-worthy team thanks to their hyper-reactions, TikTok dance lessons and heart-warming bromances. Fans lapped up the antics of Carlos Alcaraz, Jakub Mensik and – most of all – the ever-entertaining Flavio Cobolli.
This year, Rome-born Cobolli has emerged not only as a Grand Slam finalist (losing to Zverev in the Roland-Garros final) but as the most chaotically charming talent on tour. He’s won hearts with over-honest post-match interviews (‘The only thing that I understood today is that the match is never done. I almost shit on my pants’), jokingly threatening his father-coach after exhausting matches (‘I need to hit something. I think I will hit my Dad now’) and celebrating his biggest victories by casually drinking beers as he rides out the lactic acid on the gym bike.
Cobolli has a serious streak though. At Laver Cup, he played a tightly fought match against Learner Tien (losing 10-7 in the deciding tie-break), and took a crucial doubles win alongside Jakub Mensik against Taylor Fritz and Alex de Minaur. And away from the court, he met young athletes from The Backyard Club in Ghana, an organisation founded by artist and former semi-pro Amoako Boafo and supported by On, which gives young players free courts and tennis training.
Our favourite Flavio sat down with BAGEL to give us his take on this year’s Cup, plus the best beers, his tattoo plans and the perfect day off in Rome.
If you had to pick one opponent from Team World to face, who would it be?
Francisco Cerúndolo. We’re good friends and we understand each other really well, so playing him in that atmosphere would have been a lot of fun. Of course, once we step on court, we both want to win.
Do you have a favourite tattoo artist you’d love to do your next tattoo?
Jason Statham. I have no idea if he can tattoo, but I’d trust him to make it look cool.
Which player would you trust least to choose your next tattoo?
Bublik, obviously. You’d have absolutely no idea what he was going to come up with. But I’m crazy enough that I might actually let him choose.
Is any part of your body reserved for a Grand Slam tattoo?
I haven’t reserved a spot. If I win a Grand Slam, I’m pretty sure finding space for that tattoo will be the easiest part of the whole experience.
What’s more unforgivable in Italy: bad pasta, bad coffee, or bad shoes?
That’s a cruel question. Food and fashion are two things we Italians take very seriously, so bad pasta and bad shoes are both hard to forgive. You can’t really get either one wrong in Italy.
Give us your perfect day off in Rome.
Golf with my friends in the morning, then a long lunch at Sasà’s. I’d play some billiards in the afternoon, have an aperitivo with my girlfriend, and go to our favourite restaurant for dinner with my family. Then I’d finish the night with a drink with my friends. A full day, but that’s my kind of day off.
What’s the most ‘Flavio’ thing you’ve done this week?
Probably telling you I’d let Jason Statham choose my next tattoo. I like having fun and being myself, even during an intense week like the Laver Cup.
What does a Flavio Cobolli day look and feel like?
It depends on whether I’m competing or at home, but I always want to feel like myself. Tennis is a huge part of my life, and I give everything to it. At the same time, I know how to enjoy the things and the people I love away from the court. That balance matters to me.
Which country produces the best post-match beer?
Germany. After a tough match, a cold German beer is hard to beat.
You’re a Roma fan. Which three players, past or present, would you pick to play with?
Paolo Dybala, Radja Nainggolan and Stephan El Shaarawy would definitely be in my team. Paulo has incredible talent, Radja would bring all the energy, and Stephan would be great fun to play alongside.
What’s more nerve-racking: playing a match or watching Roma?
Watching Roma, without a doubt. When I’m playing, I can do something about it. When I’m watching Roma, all I can do is sit there and suffer.
LAVER CUP IN PICUTRES
Photographer Theo McInnes went down to the Laver Cup for us this weekend, to shoot his first ever tennis tournament. As well as the pro players, he was struck by the intensity of the court.
“Clay and grass are great, but the Laver Cup was super interesting because you have this almost jet black court that’s lit with these overhead lights, giving the opportunity to do really graphic shapes and textures,” he said.
“When you combine that with the peak athletes of the sport and the shapes that they’re making, the serves that they’re hitting and the rallies that they’re having, it’s incredible. And all that, plus the way that I like to shoot – a bit abstract, with tighter frames, always looking for emotion and movement – means the whole thing was amazing to capture.”
We couldn’t love these photos more.
As one follower succinctly commented: “Art.”
