Flavio Cobolli explains how his ‘biggest idol’ Novak Djokovic helped him win his Wimbledon third round match

July 7, 2025: Novak Djokovic is showing vintage form at Wimbledon 2025, having dropped only one set en route to the fourth round. Wins over Alexandre Muller, Daniel Evans, and Miomir Kecmanovic have solidified the World No. 6’s status as a top contender, even as he described his third-round match as “strange.” The draw has opened up for Djokovic, and a surprise potential quarterfinal looms—against his own practice partner, Italian upstart Flavio Cobolli.

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Cobolli stunned World No. 17 Jakub Mensik in the third round and credited a pre-match training session with Djokovic as key to his performance. “Yesterday I practiced with Nole, and I think this helped a lot for the match today,” Cobolli told Tennis Channel. “It was a chill practice but very emotional—he’s my biggest idol.”

Cobolli will now face veteran Marin Cilic in the fourth round, while Djokovic squares off against Australia’s Alex De Minaur.

Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic’s former coach Goran Ivanisevic dismissed the idea that this is the Serb’s “last chance” at Grand Slam glory. “Novak’s the favourite, no matter how sentimental that sounds,” Ivanisevic told Clay Tennis. “He’s the best grass-court player, experienced, and knows exactly what it takes.”

Ivanisevic, who coached Djokovic from 2019 to 2024, now works with Stefanos Tsitsipas but remains a strong believer in Djokovic’s championship potential at Wimbledon—despite rising stars like Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz commanding attention.