"A player cannot hinder himself": the rule point that surprised Cobolli against Wawrinka

A rare moment on the circuit: in the middle of a match against Wawrinka, Flavio Cobolli interrupts a point after a ball falls from his pocket. The umpire decides, the audience wonders, and the rule resurfaces.

© AFP

Jules Hypolite

le 04/01/2026 à 22h17

1 min to read

Cobolli Flavio Wawrinka Stan

The confrontation between Flavio Cobolli and Stan Wawrinka at the United Cup led to a rather unusual situation. While he had taken the advantage in the rally, the Italian saw a ball fall from his pocket during a point.

Cobolli then stopped play even before hitting his forehand, expecting the point to be replayed.

"A player cannot hinder himself"

But the decision was quite different. By voluntarily stopping the point, Cobolli gave it to Wawrinka. The chair umpire then explained to him that a player "cannot hinder himself," thus justifying awarding the point to the Swiss.

The world No. 22 tried to defend his action, citing a possible risk of leg injury. After explanations from the supervisor, and then from Wawrinka himself, who reminded him that "it's part of the rules," the Italian ultimately had to accept the decision.

A very specific rule point

On social media, this sequence caused confusion among many internet users.

However, the rule is unambiguous: if the player continues the point and the umpire calls a "hindrance," the point is replayed. On the other hand, since Cobolli interrupted the rally on his own initiative and chose not to execute his shot, the point was logically lost.