Flavio Cobolli has reflected on an emotional week after finishing as runner-up to Ben Shelton in Munich.
Cobolli beat the likes of Alexander Zverev en route to reaching his second ATP 500 final of the year.
The Italian was unable to go all the way and win the title, with Cobolli being beaten by Shelton in the final.
Despite losing to Shelton in the final of the BMW Open in Munich, Cobolli has sent a heartfelt message to the American in his first social media post since their match.
Flavio Cobolli sends heartfelt message to Ben Shelton on Instagram
Cobolli and Shelton actually had an on-court fallout at the Canadian Open last year, but it appears that all is well between the two players.
Prior to the final, Cobolli had not dropped a set in Munich, but ultimately was beaten by Shelton 6-2, 7-5.
Cobolli had received the tragic news that a friend of his had passed away during the tournament in Munich, and he reflected on the emotional week he had been through on Instagram.
“This week meant a lot to me,” said Shelton. “So many emotions… my heart is full. Congrats to @benshelton (clapping hands emoji).
“Thank you for all the support (love heart emoji). See you next year @bmw_open.”
Shelton clearly understood the personal challenges Cobolli had been through in Munich and responded with a heart emoji of his own.
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Although he was unable to take home the winners’ trophy in Munich, Cobolli has still been rewarded for his run to the final.
Cobolli reached his career-high ranking of world number 13 last month, but had dropped down to world number 16 ahead of the BMW Open.
However, after reaching his second final this year, Cobolli has climbed three places again to return to his previous career-high.
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Shelton has gained 170 ranking points for his title victory in Munich, but remains in the world number six spot.
However, the American number one is only 30 ranking points behind Felix Auger-Aliassime ahead of the Madrid Open.
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