How a tennis player lost more points than he won and still made the ATP Finals
The New York Times • • sports
Key Points:
- Jannik Sinner, the two-time ATP Finals champion from Turin, is sidelined with a knee injury, opening the spotlight for fellow Italian Flavio Cobolli, who is making his ATP Finals debut as world No. 6 despite a losing points record this year.
- Cobolli is the first player since 1991 to finish in the top 10 while winning fewer points than he loses, highlighting the quirks of tennis scoring where match wins, not points, determine rankings.
- In 2026, Cobolli has a 36-24 match record with a strong performance in tiebreaks (19-12), but overall wins just 49.8% of points, showing a significant gap between his best and worst levels on court.
- Despite ranking poorly in service game statistics and break-point conversion among the top 50 players, Cobolli consistently advances past first rounds, converting early wins into deeper tournament runs.
- At the ATP Finals, Cobolli faces tough opponents Carlos Alcaraz, Frances Tiafoe, and Daniil Medvedev on fast indoor courts, but the Italian crowd is ready to rally behind their new hero regardless of how he wins.
