“Finally, I looked at my bench and realized something inside me.”
For Flavio Coboli, the faces cheering him on from the sidelines provide extra motivation to help him achieve his dream of becoming a world champion.
The 23-year-old, who was cheered 2-0 at home in Bologna, pulled back a set and broke serve against Spain’s Munar to seal Italy’s historic third consecutive Davis Cup title.
Coboli’s 1-6 7-6 (7-5) 7-5 victory came two days after he scored an epic 32 points in the tie-break to confirm Italy’s place in Sunday’s match, ahead of Matteo Berrettini’s 6-3 6-4 victory over Pablo Carreno Busta.
This is an Italian duo that has been brewing for a long time.
Berrettini worked with Coboli’s father, former player Stefano, as a youngster. He was often asked to look after Coboli, who was six years his junior, and play tennis with him to keep him occupied.
Video shared on social media by Italian media Spazio Tennis, external After training together in 2011, Berrettini towered over Coboli when they walked off the tennis court.
Fourteen years later, Coboli and teammates he describes as “like brothers” walked off the field in Italy as Davis Cup champions, unbeaten in singles at the tournament.
“I can’t describe this feeling. I had a lot of dreams tonight,” Coboly said.
“We cannot fail for our country. Sometimes you learn, but you never fail.
“I don’t know what I did today. I don’t know where I am. The only thing I know is that I’m the world champion.”
