Cobolli pulls out of Paris but remains on course for Turin debut

Flavio Cobolli has withdrawn from the Paris Masters, 13 days before the start of the ATP Finals in Turin. The fifth seed had a first-round bye and was due to start his campaign in the second round. Instead, the Italian will spend the final regular-season Masters 1000 of the year watching the players chasing him in the Race to Turin.

The decision came after media day. Cobolli tried a session in the gym but still felt discomfort, and chose not to play. "I was really hoping I could make it," he wrote on Instagram. "I'm still feeling some discomfort and I don't want to take any risks."

The Vienna scare that never went away

The withdrawal follows a dramatic exit in Vienna last week. Cobolli retired in tears during his second-round match against Matteo Berrettini, trailing 5-2 after 41 minutes. Afterwards he said the tears came "from emotion rather than pain" and that he expected to be fit for Paris. That optimism did not survive his first days in the French capital.

The timing hurts in more ways than one. Paris has been the scene of Cobolli's best tennis this year: he reached his first Grand Slam final at Roland Garros in June. He is now ranked No. 6 in the world, has a 36-24 record in 2026 and won the ATP 500 title in Acapulco, the third tour-level title of his career.

What it means for the Race to Turin

Cobolli sits sixth in the Race with 3,690 points. Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Ben Shelton and Daniil Medvedev have already qualified. Jannik Sinner is out for the rest of the season, which means ninth place in the Race is now the last qualifying spot. According to the ATP, Cobolli's lead over ninth place is more than 460 points.

That cushion means the Italian is still in control of his own fate, even from the sidelines. As Tennis Majors explains, he will only miss Turin if four players pass him this week. The scenarios are specific: Arthur Fils would need to reach the quarter-finals, Frances Tiafoe the semi-finals, Rafael Jódar and Alex de Minaur the final. Novak Djokovic, Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul would each have to win the title. All of those things happening in the same week is unlikely, but it is no longer up to Cobolli.

Alcaraz ends Medvedev's winning streak to reach Vienna final

A new path through the draw

Argentine lucky loser Thiago Agustín Tirante takes Cobolli's place in the draw and his first-round bye. Tirante will face either Jan-Lennard Struff or French wildcard Arthur Gea in the second round.

The withdrawal also opens up the section of ninth seed Jódar, who is fighting for one of the last places in Turin. The Spaniard beat Alejandro Tabilo on Monday and plays Casper Ruud next. The winner of that match will face Tirante's opponent for a place in the quarter-finals. Paris has also lost Belgian Alexander Blockx, who withdrew with an ankle injury and was replaced by Sebastián Báez.

For Cobolli, the focus is now entirely on recovering in time for the ATP Finals, which begin in Turin on 15 November. It would be his first appearance at the season-ending event, and he would play it in front of a home crowd.