Matteo Arnaldi withdraws from French Open semi-final due to illness
Matteo Arnaldi has withdrawn from the French Open semi-final shortly before he was set to compete against Flavio Cobolli, citing a virus, reports BritPanorama.
Arnaldi’s withdrawal came just 20 minutes before he was scheduled to step onto Court Philippe Chatrier. In a press conference, he explained, “It’s difficult to be here, it’s not what I wanted to do but last night I started to feel not very well.”
The Italian added, “I woke up at 1am and I started vomiting. I tried to sleep, but I couldn’t sleep at all. Around 6 or 7am, I woke up and vomited again, and it was pretty bad.” Despite seeking medical assistance, he was unable to compete and expressed regret over missing out on such a significant match, stating, “To have to withdraw from a first grand slam semi-final is not something you wish on anybody.”
As a result of Arnaldi’s withdrawal, Flavio Cobolli advances to the final, where he will face tournament favourite Alexander Zverev. Ticket holders for the semi-final will be refunded. Cobolli gains an advantage as Zverev had to battle through a match against Jakub Mensik, winning 7-5, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.
This final marks Zverev’s fourth Grand Slam appearance after notable players, including Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic, were eliminated earlier in the tournament. Zverev has previously come close to clinching a title in Paris, losing in the final to Carlos Alcaraz two years ago, and narrowly missing out against Dominic Thiem at the US Open in 2020.
With Zverev touted as the overwhelming favourite—backed by tennis legend John McEnroe—there are high expectations riding on this match. McEnroe noted, “Everyone, including myself, feels he’s going to win this. It could open the door for winning multiple ones.”
As the tension builds ahead of the final, it’s a stark reminder of the unpredictability of sport, where health can impact even the most anticipated of matches.
