Pocket Trouble! Flavio Cobolli’s Bizarre Slip Sparks On-Court Debate At United Cup

Flavio Cobolli learned the hard way that knowing the tennis rulebook matters just as much as shot-making.

The Italian was left stunned during Italy’s United Cup tie against Switzerland on Sunday when a loose

ball tumbling from his pocket cost him a point, and sparked a lengthy on-court debate.

Serving for the first set against Stan Wawrinka, Cobolli found himself in trouble when a second ball slipped out of his shorts mid-rally and rolled onto the court.

Drama down under 👀#UnitedCup pic.twitter.com/KDDiyjwruN

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) January 4, 2026

Rather than play on, the world No. 22 stopped, expecting the umpire to call a let. No call came. Point to Wawrinka.

Convinced the decision was wrong, Cobolli summoned tour supervisor Gerry Armstrong, joined by Italian team captain — and father — Stefano Cobolli. As the discussions dragged on, it was Wawrinka, the veteran in the exchange, who calmly explained the rule to the Italian bench.

The verdict was clear and brutal: Cobolli had hindered himself.

“You can’t hinder yourself,” Armstrong explained repeatedly. “That’s down to you. It has nothing to do with Stan.”

Under the rules, Cobolli needed to continue playing for the umpire to intervene and potentially order a let. By stopping on his own, he automatically forfeited the point.

Wawrinka summed it up simply: drop the ball, stop the rally, lose the point.

The umpire later addressed the crowd, confirming the decision and handing Wawrinka a 0-30 lead. Despite the frustration, Cobolli regrouped and went on to close out the opening set 6-4.

Even commentators admitted confusion, with former ATP pro Ryan Harrison later clarifying the fine print: had Cobolli played on, the umpire could have ruled a hindrance and replayed the point. Stopping was the fatal mistake.