I almost cried: Fabio Cobolli reacts to Arnaldi’s French Open semi-final withdrawal

Flavio Cobolli admitted he was left emotional after Matteo Arnaldi’s shock withdrawal from the 2026 French Open semi-finals due to illness, allowing him to progress to the final. The Italian revealed he was heartbroken for his compatriot after learning the much-anticipated all-Italy showdown would not take place.

Arnaldi stepped out about 20 minutes before the scheduled start on Court Philippe-Chatrier after reportedly contracting a virus, ending his remarkable run at Roland Garros and sending Cobolli straight into the championship match against Alexander Zverev.

The withdrawal denied fans a first all-Italy men’s Grand Slam semi-final and abruptly ended one of the tournament’s most compelling stories.

“When he came to me an hour ago, I almost cried. It’s something you don’t expect at all,” Cobolli said after the withdrawal was confirmed.

“I was ready to play this match. I was completely sad after it,” he added, expressing his sympathy for his fellow Italian whose breakthrough campaign came to an unfortunate end before the biggest match of his career.

Arnaldi’s withdrawal was a bitter end to a dream run that saw the world No.104 emerge as one of the surprise packages of the tournament. While Cobolli progressed to his first Grand Slam final, the circumstances left dampened spirits around Philippe-Chatrier and fans missing out on a historic Italian semi-final contest.

COBOLLI PAY THE CROWD

Despite the disappointment, Cobolli decided to appreciate the spectators who gathered for the scheduled semi-final. After the withdrawal was confirmed, he entered Court Philippe-Chatrier for a training session in front of the crowd, rather than leaving the arena empty.

Nice gesture from Flavio

After Arnaldi’s resignation, he decided to train at Chatrier in front of the public who came to enjoy the derby.

He also allowed two children to enter who were to accompany him and Matteo. pic.twitter.com/JEGH9O7r84— Eurosport IT (@Eurosport_IT) June 5, 2026

The Italian also created an unforgettable moment for two young children who were chosen to accompany the players onto the court before the match. With Arnaldi unable to attend, Cobolli ensured that both children still got a chance to enter the Chatrier ceremony to warm applause from the fans.

The organizers of the tournament also announced it spectators holding tickets for the Arnaldi-Cobolli semi-final will receive compensation after late withdrawal from the contract.

The switch marked the first men’s Grand Slam semi-final to be decided by withdrawing from Wimbledon 2022, with Rafael Nadal pulling out of his semi-final against Nick Kyrgios with an abdominal injury. Kyrgios subsequently advanced to the final, where he lost to Novak Djokovic in four sets.

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Published on:

June 6, 2026 07:41 IST