Matteo Arnaldi withdraws from French Open minutes before semifinal as statement issued
Matteo Arnaldi withdraws from French Open minutes before semifinal as statement issued
Joshua Mbu Fri, June 5, 2026 at 5:18 PM UTC
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Matteo Arnaldi has pulled out of his French Open semifinal with Flavio Cobolli
Matteo Arnaldi has pulled out of his French Open semifinal with Flavio Cobolli (Image: Getty)
Matteo Arnaldi has pulled out of his French Open semifinal with Flavio Cobolli 23 minutes before their match due to a virus. The 25-year-old was set to face compatriot Cobolli for a spot in Sunday's final against Alexander Zverev before an announcement of his illness.
Arnaldi reached the semifinals after receiving a walkover in the quarters against Matteo Berrettini. The Italian revealed in his press conference that he started vomiting in the early hours of Friday morning after dinner.
Arnaldi's team called a doctor to his room in hopes of rescuing his French Open dream, but he was still left unable to keep food and drink down. French Open fans attending the evening game at Roland-Garros will be reimbursed. "I was feeling fine, I had dinner, and was feeling so-so in my stomach. I was alright, but didn't digest very well. I woke up at 1 am vomiting. I didn't feel the best," Arnaldi explained. The announcement immediately followed Zverev's semifinal win over Jakub Mensik.
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"I couldn't sleep at all, and at 6 am, 7 am, I vomited again, and this time it was pretty bad. I called the doctor to the room, and he gave me some stuff. I was hoping it was something from dinner, but throughout the day, I couldn't eat, and any time I did, I had to go back to the bathroom, so it's tough because, for how the tournament was, for how many hours I spent on court, I was actually feeling good.
"To have to withdraw from your first Slam semifinal is not something you wish on anybody. I tried to get ready and stay as much as I could here to try and get on court, but every time I get up, I feel dizzy. I'm pretty sure if I eat again, I am not going to feel good, so it was the right decision for me to take."
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Arnaldi started to feel sick in the early hours of Friday morning (Image: Getty)
Arnaldi explained that he believes he has a virus and not food poisoning. "I have no idea (if it's viral or something he has eaten). I think it's a virus, to be honest, because I was feeling cold, I think I had a fever during the day," he continued.
"I don't know, I just know that I can't move, eat, or drink. There was no way that I would be able to play. I feel sorry for everyone that got the tickets and came to watch us.
"I feel happy for him (Cobolli) that he is going to play the final, but at the same time sorry that we couldn't play the match. It's tough."
Cobolli will play in his first Grand Slam final on Sunday (Image: Getty)
Cobolli, who was preparing to take on close friend Arnaldi for a spot in the final, was close to tears. "When he came to me almost one hour ago, I almost cried," Cobolli said.
"It's something that you don't expect at all - I was ready to play this match, and when he came I was completely sad for him," Cobolli added.
"Matteo is a big inspiration for all of us. He's an amazing player. I think that he's the best person outside the court. Preparation, focus, cool-down. Off the field, he's one of the best, for sure," Cobolli continued.
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Source: “AOL Sports”
