Flavio Cobolli’s US Open 2026 campaign ended with a shock third-round defeat to Alexander Blockx on Saturday, but the Italian left New York with another talking point after opening up about the noise inside the tournament’s stadiums.
The fifth-seeded Cobolli was beaten by 21-year-old Belgian Blockx 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-0, 6-3 on Saturday at Louis Armstrong Stadium. After the match, Cobolli admitted that the atmosphere at the US Open is very different from what players normally experience on the tennis tour.
“It’s very, very loud,” Cobolli said. “For us, it’s very tough to play.”
The Italian, however, was quick to make clear that he was not using the atmosphere as an excuse for his defeat. “I didn’t lose because of the noise, of course,” he added.
Flavio Cobolli Explains Why US Open Noise Is Different
Cobolli explained that players are generally accustomed to competing in much quieter surroundings, where spectators remain still and silent during points.
“I said the first day, we always play with the silence. We’re always used to playing with nobody moving, nobody talking, with a great atmosphere,” he said.
“But here it’s really different. We have a great atmosphere, but it’s very, very loud. For us, it’s very tough to play.”
The comments came on a day when Cobolli struggled to maintain his level against Blockx. The Italian won a closely fought opening set in a tiebreak, but the Belgian responded strongly and won 11 consecutive games across the second and third sets.
Cobolli eventually stopped the run early in the fourth set and briefly threatened another comeback, breaking back after falling behind. But Blockx held his nerve, secured another break at 5-3 and served out the biggest victory of his career.
Blockx finished with 41 winners and 17 aces as he reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time. The victory was also his first against a Top-10 opponent at a major.
“PARA NOSOTROS ES REALMENTE DURO JUGAR”.
Tras quedar eliminado del US Open, Flavio Cobolli fue muy sincero sobre el descontrol y el ruido en las canchas de Nueva York:
🗣️ “Siempre jugamos en silencio, nadie se mueve ni habla y hay un gran ambiente. Acá es totalmente distinto:…
— Tiempo De Tenis (@Tiempodetenis1) September 5, 2026
Cobolli Admits He Needs Time to Recover
The defeat was disappointing for Cobolli after a breakthrough season that included his run to the French Open final. He had also reached the third round at the US Open for the third consecutive year. Reflecting on his performance, the Italian said his energy was lower than in his previous matches and that he had felt increasingly tight and tired.
“The first feeling I have on my mind is that I’m really sad about the performance,” Cobolli said.
“Today I think my energy was a bit lower than the other days. I felt a bit more tight and tired.”
Cobolli also praised Blockx, who had lost to him in Cincinnati only a few weeks earlier, and acknowledged the level of tennis produced by the young Belgian.
“I think that I played with an amazing player. We still don’t understand the level that Alexander has. He’s a great guy. He’s an unbelievable player. It’s really tough to play against him.”
Rather than immediately returning to competition, Cobolli said he plans to go home and take some time away from tennis to recover mentally and physically.
“I think I’m gonna go home and take some days off to recover a bit my mental health and my shape and come back very soon on court,” he said.
Next Tournament
His next major target is already in sight. Cobolli confirmed that he plans to play the Laver Cup, where he hopes to help Team Europe reclaim the trophy.
“I’ll go to Laver Cup. We really want to take Europe trophy back,” he said.
