French Open finalist Flavio Cobolli made a surprising plea for accommodation to the No 1 Court crowd after defeating Alex de Minaur in straight sets, asking fans if they might be able to put up his team for the night.
The Italian is on yet another impressive run at Wimbledon, one year on from his quarter-final debut in SW19.
As he soaked up the applause of the crowd during his on-court interview, Cobolli admitted that his plan for an evening of recovery eating his father – and coach – Stefano’s pasta and ice cream, and watching the World Cup, was in jeopardy.
‘I hope that I can go early to the house,’ Cobolli began. ‘But first we have to find one because actually we don’t have a house.
‘We have luggage in the whole house now and we have to find one. Maybe you guys have a house here in Wimbledon?’
Cobolli later revealed that he and his team had suffered a mix-up with their housing arrangement in southwest London, but that a local family had come to their aid following a frantic afternoon spent looking for a solution.
Flavio Cobolli issued a plea to Wimbledon fans after his second year undergoing an accommodation crisis in London
The Italian perhaps undervalues his strong grass-court form with his preference for short-term rentals in the capital
‘My grandfather helped us to find a solution for tonight,’ Cobolli told the media just over an hour later, suggesting a family scramble. ‘But we found a solution for all the week, I hope.
‘An Italian family gave us all a house here in Wimbledon, so it’s really cool. I will say thanks to them, when I see them.’
In an uncanny twist, Cobolli found himself in the same situation last year before his Centre Court meeting with Novak Djokovic.
‘(I had) to move house,’ Cobolli admitted before his third-round match. ‘The lady didn’t renew our contract.’
‘Last year I had problems. This year I have problems,’ Cobolli said on Monday. ‘I hope that my dad find the right solution for the next one.’
As well as sharing their gratitude, Cobolli and his entourage would certainly be pay up for alternate arrangements, with the 24-year-old having already made a minimum of £480,000-worth of prize money over his week-long stint at the tournament.
Wimbledon announced a 20 per cent increase to their prize pot this year, which now stands at a staggering £64.2million, guaranteeing £80,000 for a first-round loser.
Cobolli has a history of extremely candid on-court press interviews, having shared after his first round that his immediate actions following his victory over Mariano Navone involved him wanting to ‘hit something’ – most likely his father.
‘For sure. The first person that I will hit,’ Cobolli quipped. ‘I still don’t know with what. You’ll see tomorrow if he has a black thing on the face.’
The Davis Cup winner also admitted after beating Karen Khachanov that he had suffered stomach issues that caused him to lose the first set 6-0 in just 18 minutes, sharing a little too much information about a trip to the bathroom.
The moment he had shaken hands with De Minaur, Cobolli leapt up and pulled off Cristiano Ronaldo’s ‘siu’ celebration
Another fixture of his Wimbledon travails have been his celebrations, borrowed from players he admires.
The former AS Roma academy star was a promising young player before choosing tennis, and remains close with his former peers including Arsenal’s Riccardo Calafiori and Watford’s Edoardo Bove.
After beating Khachanov, he borrowed Brazil star Matheus Cunha’s surfboard celebration, and confessed to following the side in lieu of Italy at the World Cup.
With Brazil despatched by Norway on Sunday, Cobolli turned to Cristiano Ronaldo, performing his ‘siu’ celebration on Wimbledon’s second show court on Monday.
‘I love his celebration. I love him,’ Cobolli told Daily Mail Sport. ‘I will cheer for Portugal tonight because of Ronaldo.
‘But if they lose, it’s not because me.’
