Matteo Arnaldi withdrew from Roland Garros minutes before his semi-final match against Flavio Cobolli.
The Italian fell ill and was unable to compete in what would have been the biggest match of his career.
Arnaldi hosted a joint press conference with Cobolli to announce his withdrawal, a decision that was criticised by many.
Who is now the best active ATP player without a Grand Slam title after Alexander Zverev’s French Open victory?
He has now been personally criticised for his decision to withdraw as well.
Brett Connors questions why Matteo Arnaldi didn’t try to play his Roland Garros semi-final match
During the latest episode of ‘Advantage Connors‘, Brett Connors delivered his verdict on Arnaldi’s French Open withdrawal.
“[Matteo] Arnaldi, up until the semis, had been on court for 17 hours,” said Connors.
- Time on court – 19hr, 42 minutes
“I think it’s the most anyone has ever been on court for the semi-finals since they started keeping the stats in 1990 something.
“If he had come out and said ‘I’m exhausted, my back has given out’, you probably would believe it.
“Not that you don’t believe he didn’t feel good, but the fact he got out of bed and was there giving press and hanging out does not make for great optics.
“You’re like, if you are okay enough to get to site and do all that, you figure that you would at least give it a go and play a set and see how it goes.
“He said it was at 1am that he felt bad, but they didn’t play until 8pm the next night.
“That’s not 24 hours, but it’s a decent amount of time.”
Connors would have liked to see Arnaldi try to play his semi-final match, and thinks his decision affected his countryman in the French Open final.
“I think it hurt Cobolli; he came out and did not look great right away,” said Connors.
“It looked like it was going to be [Alexander] Zverev in straights; we were thinking this could be quick and this isn’t going to be much entertainment.
“He started getting going once he got into it, but I think not having that semi-final match hurt him a little bit in the final.”
Cobolli lost the first set of the French Open final 6-1, having not played a match for four days before his clash with Zverev.
He bounced back from a rough start, forcing Zverev into a deciding set on Court Philippe Chatrier, but eventually fell short in five, 1-6, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6, 1-6.
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What a final!
Will Matteo Arnaldi ever get another chance to play a Grand Slam semi-final?
Before the French Open, Arnaldi had never been past the fourth round of a major tournament.
Matteo Arnaldi’s best Grand Slam results
- 2026 French Open – SF
- 2024 French Open – 4R
- 2023 US Open – 4R
- 2024 US Open – 3R
His run to the semis in Paris was surprising to say the least, but that’s not to say he can’t repeat the feat.
Now ranked 34th, Arnaldi isn’t far off being seeded for Grand Slam tournaments, which will boost his chances of making the second week again.
Official ATP Rankings
| Rank | Name | Country | Points |
| 30 | Tomas Martin Etcheverry | Argentina | 1,510 |
| 31 | Alejandro Tabilo | Chile | 1,428 |
| 32 | Brandon Nakashima | USA | 1,385 |
| 33 | Ugo Humbert | France | 1,370 |
| 34 | Matteo Arnaldi | Italy | 1,336 |
| 35 | Ignacio Buse | Peru | 1,316 |
| 36 | Corentin Moutet | France | 1,283 |
| 37 | Alexander Blockx | Belgium | 1,280 |
| 38 | Alex Michelsen | USA | 1,205 |
| 39 | Mariano Navone | Argentina | 1,165 |
If he can keep showing that grit and determination he displayed at the French Open, there’s a strong chance we see Arnaldi at the latter stages of Grand Slams over the coming years.
Now, he will turn his attention to Wimbledon, an event where he has yet to win a match.
The 2026 Wimbledon Championships begin on Monday, June 29.
