The men’s side of the French Open was hit with a surprise Friday morning.
Italian Matteo Arnaldi, who had made his first career Grand Slam semifinal and was set to play fellow countryman Flavio Cobolli for a place in the final, abruptly pulled out of his match this morning, shortly before it was slated to begin on Philippe-Chatrier. Arnaldi came down with a virus on Thursday night and was still feeling unwell on Friday.
Arnaldi’s retirement automatically sent his friend Cobolli into his first career final, where he will face Germany’s Alexander Zverev.
Arnaldi had reached his first major semifinal by defeating fellow countryman Matteo Berrettini in the quarterfinals. Berrettini had to retire in the second set due to a hip injury, giving Arnaldi a shortened path into the semis before he was met with illness.
It’s a devastating blow for the 25-year-old in his best performance at a major tournament thus far.
The last time a player was forced to withdraw this late in a major was at Wimbledon in 2022, when Rafael Nadal left with an injury and sent Nick Kyrgios to the final.
Arnaldi and Cobolli held a joint press conference on Friday after the retirement news broke.
“It’s tough because for how the tournament was, for how many hours I spent on court, I was feeling actually very good,” Arnaldi told reporters. “To have to withdraw from the first Slam semifinal 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.”
Cobolli shared his emotions surrounding his good friend’s exit.
“When he [Matteo] came to me almost one hour ago, I almost cried,” Cobolli said. “You know, it’s something that you don’t expect at all. I was ready to play this match. When he came, I was completely sad for him.”
Cobolli will face Zverev on Philippe-Chatrier on Sunday morning for the men’s championship.
