After defeating Bergs in a tie-break for the strong-hearted, the Italian paid tribute to Novak Djokovic, who predicted a future in the top 10 for him.

Italy-Belgium will go down in history for the endless tie-break (17-15) that earned Italy its third consecutive Davis Cup final, but the cover photo of the match is undoubtedly Flavio Cobolli’s uncontrollable exultation. After saving seven match points against Bergs, the Italian stole the show by imitating Novak Djokovic, his lifelong idol: tearing off his shirt and sharing his unbridled joy with the crowd. His crowd, that is, the SuperTennis Arena in Bologna, which had supported him from the very first moments of a heart-stopping match.

Like Nole—  Djokovic has repeated the gesture of tearing his shirt on several occasions, echoing the Incredible Hulk: just another way to show his strength to the world. And now Cobolli has made it his own: reaching the Davis Cup final for the third consecutive year without Sinner and Musetti is no small feat and should be celebrated properly. Perhaps mindful of the words Nole whispered to him at Wimbledon, at the end of last July’s hard-fought quarterfinal match: “Flavio, it’s only a matter of time: you’ll be in the top 10 in the world. And you’ll stay there for a long time.” It starts with a torn shirt and a realization. Then who knows, maybe Djokovic’s prophecy will come true…