Flavio Cobolli, the 24-year-old Italian seeded 10th at the French Open, has been using the same shower stall at Roland Garros that 14-time champion Rafa Nadal used for 14 years [1, 2]. Cobolli defeated fourth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals on June 3 [2].
Cobolli shared that Nadal once knocked on the shower door to ask him to hurry, acknowledging Nadal’s long association with the stall. “He told me that it has been his shower since 14 years,” Cobolli said [2]. He credited the shower as the best part of his preparation this year, stating, “So I think the best thing that I’m doing (this year) ... the shower.”
The Italian has kept a strict routine throughout the tournament. He maintains consistent tension in his racket strings and dines at the same restaurant, ordering the same menu daily. “I am a little bit (superstitious), but not crazy. But you know, this week, I’m a little bit more crazy than the others. I just go same restaurant, same menu, same shower,” Cobolli said [2].
Despite his deep run, Cobolli chose not to watch a match between fellow Italians Matteo Berrettini and Matteo Arnaldi at the venue. Instead, he preferred to eat out with friends, sticking to his routine and surroundings rather than the crowd [1, 2].