Italian tennis player Flavio Cobolli turned a few heads after calling Carlos Alcaraz the ‘best player in the world’. Cobolli, who made it to the 2024 Laver Cup after being chosen as the alternate for Team Europe, said it when his teammate Alcaraz was playing Ben Shelton.
The Spaniard came to the bench to rest after leading the second set by 3-2. This is when he spotted Cobolli coming near him and offered him a high-five, which the latter gladly accepted. The Italian then decided to motivate the 4-time grand slam champion for his debut Laver Cup clash.
While doing so, Cobolli asked Alcaraz to ‘do his stuff’ and be aware of the fact that he is indeed the best player in the world currently.
“Do your stuff, take your time…you are the best player in the world man,” said the Italian while talking to his teammate.
“You are the best player in the world man, you should know it”
My absolute favourite moment from this event so far. Cobolli tentatively walking up to Carlos, Carlos noticing him and making him feel seen and heard. Both of them are such sweethearts. pic.twitter.com/i1UjeKDeNN— TG (@Tennisgeeking) September 21, 2024
However, this indeed came as a surprise since Cobolli belongs to Italy. With his nationality in mind, anyone would expect him to pick Jannik Sinner as the best player in the world. On top of it, Sinner, who is ]Alcaraz’s current biggest rival, is the world no.1 which has given rise to the ‘Sinner vs Alcaraz’ debate of late.
While the tennis fraternity is divided between these two players, no one anticipated an Italian to choose Alcaraz over Sinner. However, Cobolli got the love of the fans for his kind words to Alcaraz, with many fans praising him for his ‘sweet’ gesture.
Apparently he said “and you are so nice”. Makes it even better
— TG (@Tennisgeeking) September 21, 2024
I Cobolli he’s such a sweetie x
— Rachel (@RHeather779) September 21, 2024
Too real. And too sweet.
Inject it all in.
— Bright (@RaXslan) September 21, 2024
Oh no, he’s Italian and he said that Carlos is the best
— Teleskop (@Teleskop256068) September 21, 2024
Cobolli’s entry to the Laver Cup at the last minute was a surprise to many but might have happened due to his deal with the sports apparel brand – On. Roger Federer, who is the co-founder of the Laver Cup, also holds stakes in On. The deal between the Italian and the brand was signed ahead of the Roland Garros this year and made Cobolli a member of On’s elite tennis players group, after Ben Shelton and Iga Swiatek.
