Berrettini Consoles Cobolli After Vienna Retirement

Flavio Cobolli Retires in Tears Against Matteo Berrettini at the Vienna Open

Flavio Cobolli retired in tears trailing in the second set against close friend Matteo Berrettini at the Vienna Open on October 29, 2026, after suffering a sudden muscle issue. The 24-year-old Italian dropped his serve in the sixth game and quickly fell behind 30-0 on the return at the Wiener Stadthalle before stopping play, sport.cz reported.

Television broadcasts captured Cobolli hiding his face in a towel during a changeover while overcome with emotion. When chair umpire Renaud Lichtenstein offered to call a tournament physiotherapist to the court, Cobolli declined the assistance. Berrettini then walked over to his long-time friend—whom he has known since childhood at Rome’s Aniene tennis club—and sat beside him on the bench to console him in a moment that drew applause from the spectators.

Social Media Explanation and Injury Details

Cobolli clarified the reasons behind his emotional exit in a post on Instagram after leaving the court. I’m sorry I had to retire, Cobolli wrote on social media. I felt pain during my previous match, but I wanted to try to play. Today I realized I couldn’t continue without risking making it worse, and that’s why I had to quit.

Italian media reports point to a muscle problem, though tournament officials have not yet released an official medical diagnosis. Cobolli emphasized that his tears stemmed from frustration rather than physical agony alone. The tears weren’t caused by the pain, he stated. They were emotions, maybe a bit of stress and the disappointment of having to leave the court even though I wanted to stay on it more than anything else.

Vienna Open Stakes and Next Matches

The sudden retirement creates a significant hurdle for Cobolli’s closing stretch of the ATP season. The Italian contender is chasing a qualification spot at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin and is slated to serve as Italy’s top singles player in the upcoming Davis Cup Finals.

Berrettini praised his compatriot and addressed his own path forward in the tournament. I will try to help Flavio as much as I can, Berrettini said. He certainly has great doctors who will guide him through his recovery, and I hope he manages to return to the courts soon. Berrettini advances to face Australian competitor Alex de Minaur in the Vienna quarterfinals on Friday.

More on this story: Cobolli Retires in Tears from Injury Against Berrettini in Vienna