Matteo Arnaldi Issues Heartbreaking Update After Withdrawing from Roland Garros Semifinals

Matteo Arnaldi, unfortunately, had to withdraw from his Roland Garros semifinal against Flavio Cobolli due to a viral illness, marking the first all-Italian Grand Slam semifinal in the Open Era. Arnaldi had a stunning run to his maiden Grand Slam semifinal.

The World No. 104 defeated Tallon Griekspoor, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Raphael Collignon and Frances Tiafoe to reach the quarterfinal. In the quarterfinal, he advanced by walkover after his opponent, Matteo Berrettini, retired due to a hip injury.

Arnaldi had spent 19 hours and 42 minutes on court through five matches to reach the Roland Garros semifinal, marking the longest time taken by a player to reach the semifinals at any Grand Slam since the ATP Tour began recording match times in 1991.

The 25-year-old said in his press conference that the difficult decision was made following a bout of vomiting overnight on Thursday:

It’s difficult to be here…But last night I started to feel not very well. Yesterday I was feeling okay. I came to practice and did everything I had to do. I felt fine. I had dinner. I started to feel so-so with my stomach. I was like ‘alright, just didn’t digest very well.’ I woke up at 1 a.m. and started vomiting…Then I tried to sleep. Couldn’t sleep at all. At 6, 7 a.m. I vomited again. This time it was pretty bad. We called the doctor in the room. He came and gave me some stuff…Throughout the day I couldn’t eat. Every time I ate or drank something I would go back to the bathroom.

Matteo Arnaldi and Flavio Cobolli in the press room together, Matteo issues his official statement about his withdrawal from Roland Garros:

“It’s difficult to be here. It’s not what I wanted to do. But last night I started to feel not very well. Yesterday I was feeling okay. I… pic.twitter.com/uJyt7PKWTX

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) June 5, 2026

This marks the third time in the Open era a player has been forced to withdraw in the semifinals of a Grand Slam. The other two withdrawals were of Richard Krajicek in the 1992 Australian Open semifinal against eventual champion Jim Courier and Rafael Nadal in the 2022 Wimbledon semifinal against Nick Kyrgios.

Flavio Cobolli will meet Alexander Zverev in the Roland Garros final

With Matteo Arnaldi‘s withdrawal, Flavio Cobolli is through to his maiden Grand Slam final, where he will face second seed Alexander Zverev. Cobolli is only the fourth Italian man to reach a Grand Slam final in the Open Era after Adriano Panatta, Matteo Berrettini, and Jannik Sinner.

For Zverev, it is his fourth Grand Slam final. The German has lost his previous three Major finals: the 2020 US Open to Dominic Thiem, the 2024 Roland Garros to Carlos Alcaraz, and the 2025 Australian Open final to Jannik Sinner. Zverev, who leads the head-to-head 3-1 against Cobolli, is the huge favorite to win his much-awaited maiden Grand Slam title.

The 2026 Roland Garros has been filled with unexpected moments and upsets. This breaks away from the dominance of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner on the men’s tour, as it is the first Grand Slam final not to feature either player since the 2023 US Open.

Alcaraz is sidelined due to injury until the end of the grass swing, while Sinner was eliminated early in the tournament. This also marks the first Grand Slam since the 2021 US Open to feature a new Major champion in both the men’s and women’s tournaments. The women’s final will see qualifier Maja Chwalinska battle Mirra Andreeva.

Also Read: Matteo Berrettini Vents Frustration After Roland Garros Retirement Due to Hip Injury: “I’m Fed Up”