Flavio Cobolli Admits Compatriot Jannik Sinner is ‘Very Far Ahead’ of Him: “You Have to Be Realistic”

Flavio Cobolli has locked horns with Jannik Sinner once and lost that match in straight sets.

Flavio Cobolli Admits Compatriot Jannik Sinner is ‘Very Far Ahead’ of Him: “You Have to Be Realistic”

Flavio Cobolli, Jannik Sinner (Image via X/We Are Tennis, Jannik Sinner HQ)

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Flavio Cobolli knows very well that to catch up with compatriot Jannik Sinner, he needs to do a great deal of work. Cobolli has met the World No.2 just once and lost to it.

They faced off in the fourth round of this year’s Vienna Open, which Sinner won in straight sets before reaching the final and defeating Alexander Zverev to win his second title in the tournament. Cobolli recently practiced with Sinner’s arch-rival Carlos Alcaraz, following which, he gave an interview to Ubitennis, during which he was asked about the four-time Grand Slam champion.

In life, you also have to be a bit realistic. You try, I work every day to reach where he is, but I recognize that he is very far ahead of me right now.

Cobolli finished the season with a 34-27 win-loss record and at the 22nd position on the rankings table. He took home two titles: the Romanian Open and the Hamburg Open by defeating Sebastian Baez and Andrey Rublev, respectively.

Sinner, on the other hand, finished the season with six titles from 10 finals, which also includes his second Australian Open title and his first Wimbledon trophy.

The next major event is the Australian Open, the main draw of which is scheduled to start on January 18. Sinner will be aiming to complete a three-peat. In the previous two seasons, he overcame Daniil Medvedev and breezed past Zverev, respectively.

Greg Rusedski cites Jannik Sinner’s example to explain why Carlos Alcaraz should skip exhibitions

The off-season started after the title clash of the ATP Finals, where Jannik Sinner defended his crown by going past Carlos Alcaraz after tough straight sets. After the year-end championships, while Sinner chose not to represent Italy at the Davis Cup Finals (they completed a three-peat), Alcaraz wanted to feature in the team event, but an injury he suffered during the Japan Open (he won) forced him to skip.

Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner
Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner (Image via X/Carlos Alcaraz 4K, Jannik Sinner HQ)

During the off-season, Alcaraz participated in two exhibition events. He first featured at the Racquet at the Rock in New Jersey, where Frances Tiafoe defeated him. Then he played at the Miami Invitational against Brazilian sensation Joao Fonseca, defeating the teenager.

Sinner, however, did not play in a single exhibition during the off-season. This season, he signed up for three unofficial events, including the Six Kings Slam, where he defeated Alcaraz for the second consecutive time in the final to pocket $6 million as prize money.

While discussing Alcaraz’s split with coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, former player Greg Rusedski, on his podcast Off Court with Greg, talked about Alcaraz’s love for exhibitions and compared him to Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer.

Take Jannik Sinner, for example. He withdrew from the Davis Cup Finals and isn’t playing any exhibition matches. He’s preparing for the new season. When Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic were at their peak, you didn’t see them playing many exhibition matches. The off-season is a crucial time of year to prepare for the new season, but Carlos is at an age where he thinks he can keep going and that nothing will happen to him. That might not be the case.

Greg Rusedski said

Sinner, however, will be playing at the Hyundai Card Super Match exhibition event just a few days before the start of the 2026 Australian Open. The event will be held in Incheon, South Korea, and his opponent will be none other than the World No.1.

In Melbourne, Alcaraz will be bidding to complete the Career Grand Slam. He has never played the semifinals and twice made the last eight, losing in this stage this year at the hands of 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic.

Also read: Tim Henman Shares Which Player Can Really Join ‘Carlos Alcaraz-Jannik Sinner Conversation’ in Near Future