Matteo Arnaldi’s bid to reach a first major final came to an abrupt end on Friday afternoon, when the Italian withdrew ahead of his semi-final match with countryman Flavio Cobolli at Roland Garros due to a viral illness.
Following the announcement, the 25-year-old explained the rapid turn of events and how the decision to withdraw came together after a difficult night.
“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 in his press conference. “Yesterday I was feeling okay. I came here to practice. 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, that 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. Then I tried to sleep.
“I couldn't sleep at all. At 6 a.m., 7 a.m. I vomited again. This time was pretty bad. We called the doctor in the room. He came and gave me some stuff. I was hoping that it would just be something from dinner or something like that, but then throughout the day, I couldn't eat. Every time we did something or would drink, I would go back to the bathroom.”
Arnaldi had endured a hard-fought run to his first major semi-final, surviving two five-set battles against Raphael Collignon and Frances Tiafoe, as well as four-set victories over Tallon Griekspoor and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Despite the heavy workload, Arnaldi had felt physically in good shape heading into the latter stages of the tournament.
“It's tough, because for how the tournament was, for how many hours I spent on court, I was feeling actually very good,” Arnaldi continued. “To have to withdraw from the first Slam semi-final is not something that you wish to anybody. I tried to get ready and tried to stay as much as I could here and tried to see if I could go on court, but every time I get up, I feel dizzy, and I don't feel like the best. I'm pretty sure if I eat again, I'm not going to feel good. That was the right decision for me to take.”
Arnaldi was also asked whether the issue was a virus or food poisoning, though he remained uncertain about the cause.
“I have no idea. To be honest, I think it's a virus because I was feeling pretty cold,” Arnaldi said. “I think I had a fever during the day. I don't know, to be honest. I just know that I can't move, and I can't eat, and I can't drink. There was really no way that I would be able to play. I feel sorry for everyone who had tickets and came, all the Italians who came to watch us. I feel happy for [Cobolli] that he's going to play the final, but at the same time, sorry because we couldn't play a match, so it's tough to be here.”
Reaching the semi-finals in Paris capped a remarkable turnaround in 2026 for Arnaldi, who began the year with eight defeats in his first 10 matches as he struggled with a foot injury. The 25-year-old returned to winning ways by triumphing at the ATP Challenger 175 in Cagliari in early May, and is now up 70 spots to No. 34 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings as a result of his Paris run, which also included a win via retirement against Matteo Berrettini in the quarter-finals.
Cobolli will face Alexander Zverev in Sunday's final, with both chasing their first major title.
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