"I still have a hard time talking to him, I feel a bit intimidated" - Flavio Cobolli confirms links to Ferrero lead to dead end

Flavio Cobolli's recent form has not been great with his ATP Finals hopes recently dented after losing at the first hurdle at the Shanghai Masters. His ambition of getting Juan Carlos Ferrero as his coach has also seemed to go up in smoke after rumours surrounding his interest surfaced.

It stemmed from his dad asking the Spaniard if he would coach his son. Multiple times he asked, and the same answer he got every time. Ferrero, who coached seven-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz from the age of 15, built up an incredible reputation for his work alongside his fellow countryman.

His exit at the end of 2025 was a huge surprise with the tennis world stunned by this abrupt departure. Alcaraz has faired well since, or at least when he has been playing with a wrist injury keeping him away from the court for some time now. Now back, he is firing on all cylinders.

Ferrero is still yet to make his highly anticipated return to tennis, but it is certain that it will not be alongside the Italian No.2. Cobolli's dad, Stefano, has tried for some time now. “I have been trying for two years to get Ferrero to be Cobolli’s coach,” Cobolli Sr said. “However, he has told me no three or four times. But that’s no problem.”

When speaking to the media in Shanghai, Cobolli offered some more context around this. “Yes, I knew it and I also said I’d ask him. I still have a hard time talking to him, I feel a bit intimidated,” he stated.

“We knew it would be difficult, but we have an excellent relationship and it will stay that way. I wish him the best of luck if he really does start over with another player. Anyway, see you on the pitch.”

Rumours have been swirling around who Ferrero will take on next with Alcaraz out of the picture. The possibility of him filling the void soon to be left by Darren Cahill in the Jannik Sinner camp makes for tantalising reading, but these rumours have died down as of late. Rafael Jodar is also a possible contender, but for the time being the former Roland Garros champion bides his time, waiting for the right opportunity to get back to coaching.

It is now four consecutive defeats for Cobolli. After his third round loss against Alexander Blockx at the US Open, he would fail to take down Learner Tien at the Laver Cup. A hugely disappointing and underwhelming 6-3, 6-2 loss to Roman Safiulin in the opening round of the China Open was a huge blow.

He looked to overturn this at the Shanghai Masters, the penultimate Masters 1000 event of 2026, but instead was handed another defeat, this time to the hands of Adrian Mannarino. The Frenchman took down the No.6 seed 6-1, 4-6, 6-3.

In turn, this has damaged his prospects of debuting in the ATP Finals. Cobolli sits fifth in the race to Turin, but a number of the players behind him are readying to close the gap with him, for the time being, a sitting duck.

Fortunately, Novak Djokovic's early exit and Sinner's injury have boosted his chances of debuting on home soil. He is the big Italian hope in place of Sinner and will hope to re-find his best form sooner rather than later.