Caroline Wozniacki thinks a huge opportunity has opened up for Flavio Cobolli in the wake of devastating news that has recently emerged.
After all, the Italian has been handed the safest possible passage into the final of Roland Garros, with his friend Matteo Arnaldi having withdrawn from their proposed semi-final clash.
It is not the way he would have wanted to have reached such a stage, but now is not the time for sentimentality.
Cobolli admitted he nearly cried when Arnaldi told him he was withdrawing, but he must quickly refocus on the opportunity ahead of him.
Caroline Wozniacki points out huge Flavio Cobolli opportunity in the Roland Garros final
Wozniacki, speaking live on US TNT Sports’ broadcast, insisted: “I think for Cobolli, this is huge.
“Obviously this is his first Grand Slam final, it’s a big stage for him. He got nervous earlier on in the tournament, was like, Oh, my gosh, I had to finish off this match.
“But going in so much where you’re beating the player before, and it’s recent and on clay, I think that’s gonna give some calmness to him.
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“Obviously, when the stakes get high, you get closer to the finish line, he’s gonna feel nervous if he gets there, but you got to think that that gives him the belief going into the match and he’s gonna come out firing early on.”
This prompted John Isner to add, about the wider entertainment of the final: “Most importantly, with this matchup and for tennis fans worldwide, is both these players have an absolutely full tank of gas going into this final.
“Cobolli has not spent much time on court; neither has Zverev. So these guys are going to be 100% ready to go. It should make for some good tennis.”
What happened in Alexander Zverev’s previous Grand Slam finals?
Sunday will represent Zverev’s fourth Grand Slam final, and by some distance his greatest opportunity to get over the line and claim a title against Flavio Cobolli.
After all, his other three attempts all fell flat in uniquely dramatic ways.
His first came in 2020, as the German faced Dominic Thiem in the US Open final.
Despite racing into a two-set lead, Zverev somehow let it slip, eventually losing in a fifth-set tiebreaker.
He would have to wait just shy of four years to get his next chance, where again he led, this time by two-sets-to-one against Carlos Alcaraz in the Roland Garros final.
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Again, he let it slip.
It’s uncertain whether the 2025 Australian Open final was perhaps more merciful for Zverev than his previous two major finals, as he lost quickly and decisively to Jannik Sinner.
This upcoming Roland Garros final represents the first time he will be the favourite in a Grand Slam final.
