A viral illness prevented Matteo Arnaldi from contesting the Roland Garros men’s semifinals, his first at a Grand Slam, handing a walkover to Flavio Cobolli, who advanced to the championship match on Friday.
Ahead of contesting his first semifinal at a major, Matteo Arnaldi held a press conference to announce his withdrawal from his match against world No. 14 Flavio Cobolli due to a viral illness on Friday in Paris.
"It's difficult to be here. It's not what I wanted to do, but last night I started to feel not very well," Arnaldi explained.
"Yesterday I was feeling okay. I came here to practise. I did everything I had to do, and I was feeling fine.
"Then I had dinner. I started to feel so-so with my stomach. I was, like, 'Alright, just didn't digest very well'. But then I woke up at 1 a.m., and I started vomiting, and I wasn't feeling the best.
“I just know that I can't move, and I can't eat, and I can't drink. So, it's, like, there was really no way that I would be able to play.”
As a result, 10th seed, Cobolli, will face off against former runner-up Alexander Zverev in the championship match, both seeking to lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires for the first time on Sunday.
Earlier on Court Philippe-Chatrier, Zverev, a three-time major finalist, outlasted Jakub Mensik 7-5, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in three hours.
The world No. 3 has booked a ticket back to the title match at the French Open for the first time since 2024, when he lost to world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz in five sets.
“Playing this court is the toughest, but also the nicest in the world," the 29-year-old outlined after his match. "You know that anything can happen at any given moment. You can always try to find a way.
“You have to fight for every point, you have to play every point like it’s your last. This is the special and fun thing about Roland-Garros.”
Sports in general can be brutal sometimes, especially when one has made a deep run into a tennis major, with all the effort involved by team and player, the hard work, the hopes and dreams.
The unfortunate illness brings an exceptional campaign to an end. Still, it does not overshadow the remarkable career milestone clinched by the Italian player.
Having dropped in the Rankings to world No. 104, struggling with a foot injury, the 25-year-old worked hard throughout his two weeks in Paris, navigating uncharted territory on merit.
“It's tough because for how the tournament was, for how many hours I spent on court, I was feeling actually very good,” the former world No. 30 commented.
“To have to withdraw from the first Slam semifinal is not something that you wish to anybody."
Across five matches, he spent nearly 20 hours on court, playing 18 sets, literally becoming a marathon man, stunning seeded players Frances Tiafoe and Tallon Griekspoor on his way to the Slam final stages.
In the quarterfinals, his fellow compatriot Matteo Berrettini was forced to retire in the second set of their match due to a hip injury when Arnaldi was up 7-5, 5-2.
Both elite players know too well the bittersweet feeling of having to retire because the body has had enough and needs to stop, but in due time, they will bounce back stronger.
On Sunday, with the title on the line, Zverev, who leads Cobolli 3-1 in their series, will step on Chatrier as the favorite, having conceded two sets in six matches.
The 24-time ATP title holder is one step closer to becoming a Grand Slam champion, his first chance since falling at the 2025 Australian Open final to world No. 1 Jannik Sinner.