Cobolli details tearful Vienna exit amid fitness concern before Paris Masters

Flavio Cobolli retired in tears at 5-2 down in the first set of his Vienna Open second-round match against fellow Italian Matteo Berrettini on Thursday night, Tennis365 reported.

The withdrawal came a round after Cobolli had beaten Grigor Dimitrov in three sets, and Berrettini was seen attempting to console his compatriot as the match ended.

Cobolli later used an Instagram story to explain the emotion of the moment, writing: "Vienna, I'm sorry to leave like this. I love this tournament and was really looking forward to facing Matteo with all of you in the stands."

He said the problem had first surfaced earlier in the week. "I felt something during my match the other night, but I wanted to give it a go. Today (Thursday) I realised I couldn't keep going without pushing it too far, so I had to stop," he wrote.

Cobolli was keen to stress that his distress on court was not about pain. "Those tears weren't from pain. Just emotion, maybe a little stress, and the disappointment of having to leave the court when all I wanted was to stay out there," he said.

He added that further scans were planned, while indicating his intention to play through the issue if possible: "I'll have more tests tomorrow and update you as soon as I can. Don't worry, I'm hoping to be back on court in Paris! Thanks for all the love. @erste.bankopen."

Cobolli is chasing a first appearance at the ATP Finals in Turin. He sits fifth in the Race to Turin on 3,680 points, with Jannik Sinner's season-ending knee injury having opened up a qualification slot, and the cut-off currently at 3,785 points.

Cobolli holds a 496-point cushion over Rafael Jodar, who occupies the last qualifying place, and barring a heavy defeat in Paris he remains well placed to reach Turin for the first time, provided his fitness holds.

Novak Djokovic's path to Turin looks considerably more complicated after his own exit in Basel, where he lost to Jan-Lennard Struff in his second match of the ATP 500 event, Yahoo Sports reported. All three sets reached 5-5 before Djokovic made uncharacteristic errors in the deciding tiebreak, handing Struff a first career win over him in their ninth meeting.

Djokovic had entered Basel 12th in the Race to Turin and needed a strong run there to ease the pressure on his Paris Masters campaign. Instead he now sits 11th and must produce a deep run in Paris to have a realistic chance of qualifying.

Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton have already secured their places in Turin, and Sinner has also qualified despite his injury meaning he will not play, opening an additional spot for those still fighting to reach the event.

With five main-draw spots still to be settled and as many as ten players in contention, the Paris Masters now carries significant weight for both Cobolli and Djokovic as the ATP Finals field takes shape.