US OPEN

September 1, 2026

Flavio Cobolli

Press Conference

F. COBOLLI/F. Comesana

3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations. Epic win. Can you just give us your thoughts on your game today.

FLAVIO COBOLLI: Yeah. As always, I mean, start of the tournament is never easy. I think that today I played with an amazing player like Francisco that he's always tough to play against. I think he has an unbelievable hand that he use very well. He put me on -- you know, we had long rally. I mean, he return very well, he served very good, so it was really tough to start the match, especially because we played on Armstrong that is very big and very loud, like everybody saw.

But I'm still happy with the performance. As I said before, it's never easy to start the tournament, but I think I had a great match.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. Well done today. Are you the kind of person who likes to sleep in a little bit, sleep later? Is it hard for you to start at 11:00 in the morning, especially here where, you know, you're staying in the city and you have to travel here? What was your routine like this morning?

FLAVIO COBOLLI: No, yesterday I had a great dinner, like every day. But yesterday I had a, I mean, I went dinner 7:00 p.m., so I had a lot of time to recover and sleep.

I'm a good sleeper (smiling), so I love to sleep, but I also love to play first match. So I'm the guy that if I play first, I go a little bit early, and if I play last, I go a little bit later.

I like to play early and I like to play later, so for me is the same.

Q. What time did you have to get up this morning to...

FLAVIO COBOLLI: 6:30.

Q. In the past 10 days, you shared the court with Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz. You have been one of the headline names for Stars of the Open in New York. Especially after your French Open finalist run, how are you handling your stardom being as big as it has been in your young career? Any extra pressure, now knowing you are someone that people want to pay to see?

FLAVIO COBOLLI: I mean, people pay for everything now (smiling). But yeah, I feel the pressure, but is something that I will want to use as a friend, you know.

I always love to play where the pressure is high. So that mean also that I love to stay on this kind of stage, and I love to play mixed with an incredible player like legend of our sport, like Serena and Carlos. I love to play The Stars. Always a great feeling to play on the biggest stadium in the world with all the crowd. Stadium sold out.

So something that I'm not usual to do, but I'm trying to be more comfortable when I do. So now I feel good when I'm on court like this, when the court is full, when the crowd is for my opponent. So I'm trying to be more calm as possible. I don't know if you guys, you can see that I'm very calm, but I'm trying to do something different from the past.

Q. What do you think was the turning point of your match today? Was it something in the third set or even before or after that when you just kind of felt like a shift?

FLAVIO COBOLLI: Yeah, I had a great game 1-All or 2-1, I don't remember when I serve, and I saved two breakpoints. Yeah, that shot make me more comfortable, make me, I mean, it was nothing to lose at that point, so I gave everything on the court. I think that moment means a lot for the match.

Q. You seem to be really connecting with New York audiences, American audiences in general. I'm wondering how you experience New York, not just here but whether you're able to enjoy the city, the kind of things you like to do here. And also about your English, which seems to be both charming and having improved a lot, how you're working on that?

FLAVIO COBOLLI: Yeah? You think?

Q. I do. Impressed.

FLAVIO COBOLLI: No, this year I have my girlfriend here, so we try to, you know, see something that we never saw together. It's a year that is more special from the past. I mean, also my mom was here, my brother is here. I have all the family.

As always, we have a good team and very big, so we do all together. I'm trying to take some moment with the girlfriend to watch a bit of New York that is a city that we love a lot.

Yeah, maybe tomorrow we go to see something different. If you give me advice, I...

Q. Try the Metropolitan Museum.

FLAVIO COBOLLI: So museum I think is not for me (smiling).

Q. What about your English, which is...

FLAVIO COBOLLI: English is something that is not perfect, but I'm trying to talk with the players, trying to have more, you know, chat with everybody here, also in the locker room, and Sascha help me a lot with English.