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Cobolli and Bergs: a 32-point tiebreak that defined Davis Cup final drama

Cobolli saved seven match points to beat Zizou Bergs in a 32-point Davis Cup tiebreak. Intense drama

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“You can never lose if you give it all, what you have in your heart.” Flavio Cobolli offered that line after a match that became the emotional centerpiece of the Davis Cup Final in Bologna. The 22nd-ranked Cobolli edged Zizou Bergs 6-3, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (15) in a contest decided by a 32-point deciding tiebreak and a 98-minute third set.

“It’s a combination of really, really enjoying being out there, as well as feeling so much love for your team and for the fans that I hear, dealing with a very difficult crowd,” Bergs said after the match. “All those combinations make it a very emotional one. At least I’m really happy that I enjoyed myself out there.”

The match carried the raw stakes Davis Cup is known for. With Italy up 1-0 and many of the sport’s biggest names already on break from the season, this encounter gave two rising players an arena-sized moment. The crowd pushed the noise to its limit as the two similarly built baseliners exchanged long, intense rallies. Bergs’ backward hat and stamp-like gait drew comparisons to gritty competitors of the past.

Bergs pushed the tiebreak into extended territory, at times converting match points and at others seeing chances slip away. He led at several junctures in the breaker, only to see Cobolli rally back with retrievals, a net attack and a finishing smash. Cobolli saved seven match points; Bergs saved six. “There were so many important points,” Bergs said. “In those moments you’re going to fail, you’re going to do right things. Even if you do the right thing sometimes, doesn’t mean you’re going to get rewarded.” He added, “I was just laughing so many times on court,” he said, “realizing what crazy points we’re doing in a crazy atmosphere.”

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Matteo Berrettini watched the drama with visible nerves. Cobolli and Berrettini went on to combine to sweep all six singles matches they contested in Bologna. Two days later the 23-year-old Cobolli clinched the Cup with another epic against Jaume Munar. When he celebrated in the stands by tearing his shirt, Cobolli later shrugged off suggestions he was imitating Novak Djokovic. “Today I felt like I was trying to be like Hulk,” he said with a laugh.

ATP Davis Cup Grand Slam

Murray to Join Draper’s Grass-Court Team as the 24-year-old Recovers

Andy Murray joins Jack Draper on grass, offering experience with injury comebacks and Wimbledon. 2026

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Andy Murray will join Jack Draper’s coaching group for the grass-court season, the young Brit announced as he parted ways with Jamie Delgado. The move arrives while Draper deals with another injury setback and prepares to return to competition.

“I am very grateful for everything Jamie Delgado has done for me over these past six months. He is a world-class coach and a great man,” Draper said in a statement.

“In the interim, I will continue to be supported by the excellent team at the LTA, with the addition of Andy Murray, who will be supporting me throughout the grass-court season.”

Murray was Draper’s childhood idol and the two were teammates in Davis Cup in 2023. Murray retired in 2024 and spent six months as a coach in 2025 before parting ways with that player in May. “Honestly, I would coach again but probably not right now,” Murray said in April. A short-term role with Draper for grass fits Murray’s stated preference to limit travel.

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Draper has not set a firm date to return but is scheduled to play the HSBC Championships at Queen’s Club before Wimbledon if recovered. Murray’s presence offers grass-court experience: he won Olympic gold at Wimbledon in 2012 and claimed multiple Grand Slam titles, including Wimbledon, becoming the first British man to win the tournament since Fred Perry in 1936.

Murray can also share insights from long injury battles and comebacks. He returned to competitive tennis after hip resurfacing surgery in 2019 and has navigated pressure at the top of the game, reaching world No. 1 and winning two Olympic gold medals and three Grand Slams during an era dominated by the sport’s biggest figures.

Draper’s run of fitness issues has been persistent. After a nine-month layoff with a bone bruise in his arm last year, he skipped the Australian Open and returned to the tour in February. His best result in 2026 to date was a run to the Indian Wells quarterfinals, including a win over Novak Djokovic. A knee injury sustained in Barcelona forced him out of the remainder of the clay season, including Roland Garros. “As gutting as it is to miss another slam, the advice is not to rush straight back into playing five set tennis on clay,” Draper shared on Instagram.

“Off the back of the arm injury I sustained last year, I’ve been restricted with my training and by giving myself the time to heal and build, I can be the player I want to be out there once again. See you soon!”

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ATP Davis Cup Grand Slam

Jamie Murray retires after 36 years, closing the ‘Murray era’ in doubles

Jamie Murray retires after 36 years, ending a career that included a doubles world No. 1 peak today.

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Jamie Murray confirmed his retirement on social media Wednesday, announcing that his long run in professional tennis is over. The former doubles world No. 1 and seven-time Grand Slam doubles champion posted images spanning his career and wrote that “[his] tennis journey [is coming] to an end after 36 years.”

In the message, Murray acknowledged the role his family played in his career. He thanked his mother Judy and his brother Andy for their support, saying their backing helped him “achieve everything I could in the game.” He added: “I feel very fortunate and privileged for all the amazing experiences this great sport has given me,” the 40-year-old wrote in the Instagram post.

Murray finishes his career with 34 tour-level titles, two of those won alongside his younger brother. The Murray pairing was central to Great Britain’s 2015 Davis Cup triumph, the country’s first Davis Cup victory in 79 years, with the brothers taking crucial doubles matches in the quarterfinal, semifinal and final rounds.

In 2016 Jamie reached a milestone for British doubles players by becoming the first British man to attain the world No. 1 ranking in doubles; he held that position for nine weeks. He also joined Andy as his doubles partner for Andy’s final Wimbledon tournament in 2024.

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The social post offered a reflective ending to a career that spanned more than two decades and encompassed Grand Slam titles, a stint at the top of the doubles rankings and a key role in a historic national team victory. Murray’s announcement marks the close of a defining presence in doubles competition and a notable chapter in recent British tennis history.

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Davis Cup Finals Player News

Nadal returns to the slopes after 26 years for a family ski day at Baqueira Beret

Rafael Nadal returned to skiing after 26 years, sharing slopes and snow fun with his family on skis.

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Rafael Nadal spent time on skis this week for the first time in 26 years, sharing a winter outing with his wife Maria Francisca Perello and their 3-year-old son, Rafa Jr., at Baqueira Beret in the Catalan Pyrenees. The player behind the tennis academy that bears his name in Mallorca said the experience felt special after decades focused on managing an injury-prone body in his career. Nadal called it an “incredible feeling” to ski for the first time since his early teens.

During the trip he took a lesson guiding his eldest son and paused to build a snowman. An adorable video posted by Nadal showed little Rafa Jr. appearing at ease on the slopes, though Nadal indicated he would prefer professional guidance and invited suggestions on social media. “We’re still learning … any advice for us?” he asked, tagging American Olympic champion Lindsey Vonn.

Vonn replied, “We have to ski together when I’m healthy!” Vonn, 41, suffered a complex fracture of her tibia after a crash at the recently-concluded Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics and required three surgeries to correct the injury.

Nadal, 39, played the final match of his tennis career at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals after seasons affected by foot and hip injuries, the hip issue requiring surgery. He also underwent surgery in January for severe osteoarthritis in his right hand. Since stepping away from professional competition he has remained active, including time on the golf course with longtime rival Roger Federer and a practice session with academy alumna Alexandra Eala.

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Although the academy carries his name, Nadal has been noncommittal about coaching future champions on the court. For now, his winter trip made clear that other sports, and sharing those moments with his family, have an important place in his life after competitive tennis.

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