Flavio Cobolli wants to earn Davis Cup Finals nomination—and stay on as ATP's 'admin'

ALMATY—The resident ‘admin’ of the ATP Tour is on the way up to feeling like his normal outgoing, expressive self again.

Flavio Cobolli recently found himself stuck in a rut, struggling to compete with the joy and fire that catapulted him inside the Top 20 earlier this year. After retiring from his third-round match at the US Open with compatriot Lorenzo Musetti, the Italian dropped three of four matches ahead of his Almaty Open debut.

“I didn't enjoy so much the last three, four weeks. It was a tough year. The calendar is very full,” he shares with TENNIS.com. “It’s not easy to enjoy every tournament of the year. We try, but it's not like this every tournament.

“I practice a lot and I came here with another attitude. I'm trying to have more smiles on the court.”

Making the trip to Kazakhstan, Cobolli put together a solid performance in his opener Wednesday to secure a 6-4, 7-5 victory over Rinky Hijikata. The third seed was particularly satisfied with the mindset he brought to the court and seeing it translate to positive outcomes at the service line.

“I knew that Rinky was a tough opponent, so I try to be focused since the beginning and with a great attitude and great spirit. I played one of my best tennis matches on the hard court this year,” he states. “I think I served my best game on the season, good percentage. I really enjoyed that match.”

🖥️📲 Stream Cobolli's bid to win the Almaty title on the Tennis Channel App!

Cobolli opened his 2025 with a pair of wins at the United Cup, before enduring a seven-match losing streak. An early season niggle plagued his confidence, as did navigating the trials and tribulations of a sophomore year on tour. No longer the new guy, Cobolli nevertheless kept fighting and the tide eventually turned.

It's not easy to play the second year on the tour. You have to confirm everything about your progress, your results.

The Rome native lifted his maiden ATP trophy on clay in Bucharest, then fittingly triumphed at the 500-level event in Hamburg during his debut as the tour's admin of social media. Weeks later on a quicker surface, Cobolli celebrated a breakout major run to the Wimbledon quarterfinals and hit No. 17 on the rankings by the end of July.

It was a change in fortune he didn't necessarily see coming.

“It was unexpected because I started the year not so good with a bit of an injury. I was a little bit lost as well. It's not easy to play the second year on the tour,” he reflects.

“You have to confirm everything about your progress, your results, so it's not easy to start the second season very well. I changed my focus, my mind. I start to not think about the result. I start to have fun on the court. I practice more than before and I took many results, not only about the points and money, but also about myself.”

On Monday in Almaty, Cobolli joined defending champion Karen Khachanov and Daniil Medvedev among others to open doors to the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation’s newest tennis complex in the Alatau district. One portion of the activation, as Cobolli would explain, brought him right back to his roots.

“It was a great event, and I had the chance to meet the president (Bulat Utemuratov) there for the first time. It wasn’t my first time planting a tree—I usually do it when I win a trophy,” he explained to press Wednesday.

“In Italy, it’s kind of a tradition. When something important happens, we plant a tree. So I think it’s a beautiful gesture. The tree is missing my name, but I hope they’ll fix that—because now it’s my tree!”

The ATP certainly planted some seed when rolling out Cobolli as their inaugural admin. The free-spirited 23-year-old has thrived in the role, his bubbly personality shining through when creating content on the road highlighting peers that included four-time major winner Jannik Sinner.

The experience is one Cobolli has his sights on extending further.

“I try to have a great relationship with everyone on the tour. I think I make people happy. I try to be also with the fans like this,” he says. “We did this crazy thing with the admin, but it's fun and I enjoy a lot. It’s not only tennis practice and focus on the court, but it's also having fun and showing something different about the day.

“I really enjoyed it. I hope I can continue and no one takes my place.”

I'm trying to be one of the five at the Davis Cup. That's been a good dream for me. I really want to have the chance.

In 2024, Cobolli’s season didn’t end on his terms thanks to a shoulder issue. Feeling like Flavio again, the world No. 22 wants to finish this year's campaign on a strong note for more than just himself. November’s Davis Cup Finals are being staged in Bologna, with the host nation seeking its third consecutive title. Countrymen Sinner, Musetti, Matteo Berrettini, Lorenzo Sonego and Matteo Arnaldi have each been a part of one or both victorious squads at the past two editions in Malaga.

Cobolli hopes his progress as a competitor earns a shot at helping grow his country’s legacy in the event.

“It was a great year with two titles, but the year (hasn’t) ended. I know how to prepare my mood on the court to be more positive and more focused,” Cobolli says.

“I have Vienna, Paris, and maybe Metz after this tournament. I'm trying to be one of the five at the Davis Cup. That's been a good dream for me. I really want to have the chance.”

Admin signing off.