After defeating Bergs in a nail-biting tiebreaker, the Italian paid tribute to Novak Djokovic, who predicted a future for him in the top 10

Italy vs. Belgium will go down in history for the never-ending tiebreak (17-15) that earned Italy its third consecutive Davis Cup final, but the defining image of the match is undoubtedly Flavio Cobolli’s uncontrollable celebration. After saving seven match points against Bergs, the Italian player stole the show by imitating Novak Djokovic, his longtime idol: a torn shirt and unbridled joy shared with the crowd. His crowd—the fans at the SuperTennis Arena in Bologna—who had supported him from the very first points of a heart-stopping match.

like Nole—  The gesture of ripping off his shirt—one that Djokovic has repeated on numerous occasions and that echoes the Incredible Hulk—is just another way to demonstrate 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 deserves to be celebrated properly. Perhaps mindful of those words Nole whispered to him at the net at Wimbledon, at the end of that hard-fought quarterfinal match last July: “Flavio, it’s only a matter of time: you’ll make it into the world’s top 10. And you’ll stay there for a long time.” It all starts with a torn jersey and a moment of realization. Then who knows—maybe Djokovic’s prophecy will come true…