In 2019, Cottafava made his debut on the World Tour, competing alongside teammate Jakob Windisch. That year, the duo finished in 9th place at the Göteborg Open, 13th at the Baden Open, and 17th at the Ljubljana Open, before Cottafava secured his first career title at the Budapest one-star event. They also finished 4th at the U22 European Championship in Antalya. These early successes marked the start of Cottafava's rise through the professional beach volleyball ranks.