Wimbledon star Flavio Cobolli has mysterious girlfriend and refuses to watch tennis

Flavio Cobolli might not be a household name yet, but he's making waves at Wimbledon. The 23-year-old talent has secured his spot in the limelight by defeating Jack Draper conqueror Marin Cilic, propelling him into his first Grand Slam quarter-final against Novak Djokovic.

Despite being the number 22 seed and favouring clay courts, Cobolli refuses to let surface preferences distract him before his clash with Djokovic, stating: "I don't want to think about the court. I just want to enjoy the day. I don't want to think about the other player. I want to think about myself. I want to have fun on every point I play on this kind of stage.

"This is something I have dreamt of since I was young, since I started to play tennis. I'm really emotional because this is a day that I will never forget, for sure. I am very proud of myself."

Hailing from Florence, Italy, Cobolli grew up inspired by his father Stephano, a former professional tennis player who once ranked at 238 and couldn't help but shed tears over his son's victory against Cilic.

However, he could have chosen another sport to play before tennis. Cobolli's football skills earned him a spot in the Roma academy as a right-back for five years, balancing four days of football with two days of tennis each week. But at age 14, he opted to leave the pitch for the court.

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"I don't like to play with a team," he has candidly expressed. "I like to play alone. I love to stay alone in my life. I don't like to lose because of someone else. I want to win because of me. In a team, it's different."

He remains a Roma fan and held their scarf up high when he won the French Open boys' singles title in 2020. He even told the ATP Tour that he won't watch a tennis match and instead prefers football from a TV perspective: "I am a big fan of AS Roma. I have a tattoo for them.

"My main sport outside of tennis is football, but I don't like to watch tennis. So if I can choose between a tennis match and a football match, I would go to watch football."

Cobolli has a tattoo on his chest, inscribed with 'sei tu l'unica mia sposa, sei tu l'unico mio amor', a quote from Roma icon Daniele de Rossi, signifying 'you are my only wife, you are my only love'.

Despite his passion for football, Cobolli hasn't devoted his entire life to the sport. He has a long-term girlfriend in Italy, which he confirmed in 2023.

When asked about his ideal day, he responded: "I will sleep for a long time. Then I will spend time with my girlfriend. Play padel with my friends and participate in a football match."

Little is known about his relationship with Matilde Galli, who keeps her Instagram account private, but they have been together for over four years and seem deeply committed to each other.

Reports suggest he made their relationship official on his Instagram account in March 2021 and has continued to post pictures of them together since then.

In a post from 4 November 2022, seemingly celebrating her birthday, he wrote: "! THE BEST IS YET TO COME... Tired! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY LIFE ," alongside a video of them sharing a passionate kiss after a match while she was in the stands.