Italian tennis player Flavio Cobolli celebrated his hard-fought third-round victory at Wimbledon on Saturday by replicating the signature surfer celebration of Manchester United forward Matheus Cunha.
Cobolli rallied from a two-sets-to-one deficit to defeat ninth seed Karen Khachanov of Russia 0-6, 7-6, 6-7, 6-2, 6-2 on court two.
The win secured his place in the last 16 against Australia's Alex de Minaur on Monday.
During his post-match interview, Cobolli explained the meaning behind the gesture, noting its origins stemmed from a wager.
Cunha Responds to Tribute
While Cobolli prepares for his next match at SW19, Cunha is scheduled to represent Brazil in a World Cup round of 16 match against Norway on Sunday evening.
The Manchester United attacker has already scored three goals during the tournament in North America.
Cunha noticed the tribute and responded to the tennis star via social media during his downtime.
The 27-year-old forward also generated attention at the World Cup for his sportsmanship following Brazil's 2-1 victory over Japan in Houston.
In that match, head coach Carlo Ancelotti's side advanced after scoring a 96th-minute winner.
Cunha consoled Leeds United midfielder Ao Tanaka, who was seen in tears after Kaishu Sano's early goal for Japan was overturned by a second-half Brazilian fightback featuring goals from Casemiro and Gabriel Martinelli.
