Flavio Cobolli ‘excited’ to face ‘idol’ Novak Djokovic after getting past Stan Wawrinka in a close encounter
Flavio Cobolli admitted that Novak Djokovic is his idol ahead of facing him in the third round of the Rolex Shanghai Masters.
Flavio Cobolli and Novak Djokovic (via Sportal.eu/Tennis365)
Flavio Cobolli continued in his recent tremendous form this season at the Rolex Shanghai Masters. The Italian came from behind to defeat Swiss legend Stan Wawrinka in the second round of the ATP 1000 tournament. He has admitted his excitement at facing Novak Djokovic in the next round.
Cobolli has evolved in his game in the second half of the season. The Italian reached the third round of the US Open before losing to Daniil Medvedev. At the China Open, he played great tennis, beating the likes of Alexander Bublik and Pavel Kotov to reach the quarterfinals. However, he lost to Medvedev again in a straight set.
Against Wawrinka, the 22-year-old showed excellent resolve to win the second set after losing two set points in the first set tiebreak. In the third set, Cobolli took charge of the match as Wawrinka’s energy began to wane. Wawrinka was seeking to achieve two consecutive ATP victories for the first time in 13 months. Cobolli shattered the Swiss hopes with a 6-7(8), 7-6(4), 6-3 win.
Cobolli will face Djokovic in the third round of the Shanghai Masters. Ahead of their meeting, the Italian revealed that the World No.4 is his idol.
Cobolli.
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) October 7, 2024
"Djokovic is my idol and now I'm gonna face him. I wanna enjoy every moment".
Djokovic booked his place in the third round after his 7-6(3) 7-6(9) victory over American Alex Michelsen on Saturday (October 5). It was the 37-year-old first tour-level match since the US Open.
Novak Djokovic looking forward to meeting ‘tough’ young players the more he continues to delay his retirement
Novak Djokovic recently confessed that he will keep playing with more younger players the older he gets. The Serbian was thoroughly challenged by 20-year-old Alex Michelsen in the second round of the Shanghai Masters. He survived after two tiebreaks to win the tie in a straight set.
It was the former World No. 1’s first meeting against Michelsen. He will be up against 22-year-old Flavio Cobolli on Tuesday (October 7) for the first time in his career. After his victory against Michelsen, he revealed that he has to get used to facing more younger players as he gets older.
Djokovic is the record winner of the Shanghai Masters, with four to his name. The Serbian is playing for the first time in the ATP 1000 event since 2019. He is also looking forward to winning his 100th career title in the tournament.
Victor Okechukwu
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