Wimbledon star Flavio Cobolli's mysterious girlfriend and vow to 'stay alone in life'

Flavio Cobolli is a name few outside the world of tennis may be familiar with, but that could all be about to change. The 23 year old proved he is definitely one to watch after he beat veteran Marin Cilic in a tough match at Wimbledon that saw him reach his first Grand Slam quarter-final in which he will face the mighty Novak Djokovic.

The number 22 seed is known to prefer a clay court over grass but isn’t going to let that occupy his thoughts before his appearance on Wednesday: "I don't want to think about the court. I just want to enjoy the day," he said after his victory. "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.

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"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."

Born and raised in Florence, Italy, Cobolli followed in the footsteps of his father Stephano - a former professional tennis player who reached number 238 in the rankings and was seen crying in the crowd after his Cilic win. He started playing at the tender age of two and also took up football, which was and still is a huge passion of his.

His footballing talent meant he was able to join the Roma academy as a right back for five years. He played four days a week of football and two of tennis. However at the age of 14 he switched paths and decided the latter was the route for him because he is better with his hands than his feet and prefers the solo nature of the sport.

"I don’t like to play with a team," he has previously said. "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."

Although his commitment to tennis is certainly paying off now as he prepares to play the biggest match of his life, he still adores football, preferring to watch it over tennis and staunchly supporting Roma at matches. When he won the French Open boys' singles title in 2020, he celebrated by holding a Roma scarf above his head.

He spoke to the ATP about his love for his team, saying: "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."

The tattoo he mentioned is on his chest. It features the words 'sei tu l'unica mia sposa, sei tu l'unico mio amor', which is a quote about the club from another of his idols, Roma legend Daniele de Rossi. It translates to 'you are my only wife, you are my only love'.

Despite his inking, Cobolli hasn’t actually dedicated his entire heart to football. He has a long-term girlfriend back in Italy, which he confirmed in 2023. 

When asked to describe his perfect day he said: "I will sleep for a long time. Then I will hang out with my girlfriend. Play padel with my friends and play a football match."

Not many details about his relationship with the beautiful Matilde Galli are known but they have been dating for over four years and appear to be very dedicated to each other. 

According to reports he made their union official on his Instagram account in March 2021 ad has continued to share posts featuring them both since.

In one from 4 November 2022, which appears to be her birthday, he wrote: !THE BEST IS YET TO COME... Tired! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY LIFE ," alongside a clip of them kissing passionately after a match while she was in the stands.