Matteo Arnaldi was unable to play his French Open semi-final match.
Minutes before he was due to step onto the court against Flavio Cobolli, Arnaldi withdrew from the French Open.
The Italian picked up a viral illness and was therefore forced to miss what would have been the biggest match of his career.
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Former Grand Slam champion Andy Roddick has now delivered his verdict on Arnaldi’s withdrawal, hitting back at those criticising the world number 104.
Andy Roddick defends Matteo Arnaldi’s decision to withdraw from the French Open
During the latest episode of ‘Quick Served‘, Roddick shared his thoughts.
“People are like, ‘Oh, you have a virus, you can’t play a set?’. But if you have nothing in your body, think about the amount of time he has spent on court this week,” said Roddick.
Matteo Arnaldi’s time on court at Roland Garros – 19 hours, 42 minutes
“I am not a doctor; I don’t know what happened.
“But all I know is if your body is run down, fatigued, and under extreme stress, what are you more susceptible to? Viruses, sickness.
“Your body is run down; it reacts a certain way.
“Is it just paying the bill? Is it unlucky? All of it makes sense. You cannot have nothing in your system and not sleep.
“It’s not just about today, because you cannot put four or five hours in today if you have nothing in your body; it’s not normal.
“But think about when you get sick, and you’re vomiting, you don’t feel great three days later.
“You are not playing five-set matches.
“You can out run it maybe if it’s one match.
“If it’s two, you cannot make your body do what it can’t do.”
Arnaldi played two five-set matches at Roland Garros, defeating Raphael Collignon and Frances Tiafoe.
Matteo Arnaldi’s route to the French Open semi-finals
- 1R [WIN] vs Tallon Griekspoor, 6-7, 6-3, 7-6, 6-3
- 2R [WIN] vs Stefanos Tsitsipas, 7-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-2
- 3R [WIN] vs Raphael Collignon, 6-4, 6-7, 5-7, 6-4, 7-6
- 4R [WIN] vs Frances Tiafoe, 7-6, 6-7, 3-6, 7-6, 6-4
- QF [WIN] vs Matteo Berrettini, 7-5, 5-2 (RET)
Both matches were physically demanding, as the Italian fought hard to advance in Paris.
It’s also important to remember that Arnaldi isn’t used to playing this much tennis.
While the likes of Alexander Zverev, Jannik Sinner, and Carlos Alcaraz make runs to the semis of most Grand Slam tournaments, Arnaldi doesn’t.
Before Roland Garros, Arnaldi had only been past the third round of a Grand Slam twice.
Matteo Arnaldi’s Grand Slam performance timeline
| Grand Slam | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
| Australian Open | – | Q3 | 2R | 1R | 1R |
| French Open | – | 2R | 4R | 2R | SF |
| Wimbledon | Q1 | 1R | 1R | 1R | – |
| US Open | Q3 | 4R | 3R | 1R | – |
Therefore, his body isn’t ready to play five or more five-set matches in such a short period.
Arnaldi will hope that if he returns to this stage of a Grand Slam tournament, he will be better-prepared to compete.
But for anyone criticising the Italian, listen to Roddick, and ask yourself if you could play a five-set match when you’re sick!
Could Matteo Arnaldi’s sickness hand his friend Flavio Cobolli the advantage in the French Open final?
The good news for Italian tennis is that they still have a man in the French Open final.
And Cobolli will set foot on Court Philippe Chatrier for Sunday’s final against Alexander Zverev well-rested.
Cobolli didn’t have to play his semi-final match, while Zverev spent three hours on court getting past Jakub Mensik.
That could give Cobolli the boost he needs to take down Zverev, the heavy favourite.
There is, however, a valid argument suggesting Cobolli could have benefited from playing his semi-final match.
Arriving at the biggest match of your career, having not played in four days, is a genuine concern.
Will Cobolli be fresh for the final, or will he have lost the rhythm that has seen him impress in Paris so far?
Only time will tell…
Cobolli will play Zverev in the 2026 French Open men’s singles final on Sunday, June 7.
