This year’s French Open is full of surprises, but then came one no one wanted. Matteo Arnaldi, making his first Grand Slam SF, withdrew after battling a viral illness. After a night spent vomiting and sleepless, the 25-year-old Italian was not in shape to contest a spot in the final against a close friend and fellow Italian, Flavio Cobolli. So when the news of his withdrawal broke during TNT’s coverage of Roland-Garros, Andre Agassi, distraught, head in hands, gave a harsh reality check.

“I could have beat Arnaldi today, at 56 years old. If you don’t show up, you can’t win,” the Olympic gold medalist told the panelists on June 5, 2026, when asked about his reaction to the news. 

“It’s just disappointing. This tournament has been full of so many surprises, this is not the kind of surprise that anybody wants to see. He had two sets last match, physically he would have had a chance to be at his best. But obviously, he’s dealing with something that better be unimaginable,” the 56-year-old added. 

Shortly after, Arnaldi faced reporters at the French Open to explain his decision.

“It’s difficult to be here. It’s not what I wanted to do,” Arnaldi admitted at the press conference before revealing how the illness developed overnight.

“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 was feeling fine, and then I had dinner. I started to feel so-so with my stomach. I was like Alright, just didn’t digest very well. But then I woke up at 1 a.m. and started vomiting.”

The Italian couldn’t sleep and spent much of the night vomiting, leaving him physically drained ahead of the SF. He had to call a doctor.

“I tried to get ready and tried to stay as much as I could here and tried to see if I could go on court, but every time I get up, I feel dizzy, and I don’t feel like the best. I’m pretty sure if I eat again, I’m not going to feel good. That was the right decision for me to take,” he added.

His withdrawal automatically sent the 10th seed into Sunday’s French Open championship match against the second seed, Alexander Zverev. It also marked a rare occurrence.

It was only the third time a men’s SF at any Grand Slam ended with a walkover during the Open Era. It was also the first time such a situation had occurred at the Parisian Slam.

The last time this happened was at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, when Rafael Nadal withdrew a day before his semi-final match against Nick Kyrgios because of an abdominal injury. 

The setback was especially heartbreaking considering Arnaldi’s remarkable run in Paris. On his way to reaching a maiden Grand Slam SF, he spent nearly 19 hours and 42 minutes on court across his first five matches.

While Agassi’s comments quickly became a major talking point, attention has now shifted toward the championship match. With Cobolli unexpectedly through to the final, Zverev has also shared his thoughts on the situation as both players prepare for Sunday’s showdown.

Alexander Zverev reacts to Flavio Cobolli reaching French Open semifinal without playing

The unexpected news arrived shortly after Alexander Zverev continued his impressive run at the French Open. The German booked his place in the final with an SF victory over rising Czech Jakub Mensik, with Zverev also getting into a clash after a bizarre post-match moment. 

This fortnight in Paris, however, things seem to favor Zverev, who remains the best player without a Grand Slam. And for his opponent, Cobolli will enter Sunday’s final fresher than expected after advancing without having to play the SF match.

Still, Zverev does not believe the extra rest will significantly affect the outcome of their final. The world No. 3 made it clear that he feels physically strong heading into the championship match.

“Not really, because I feel fine. I didn’t have brutally long matches. I honestly feel like I could play again now,” Zverev said in his post-match press conference.

The German also expressed sympathy for Arnaldi, who was forced to withdraw because of illness. “I think it’s not the way that you want a semi-final of a grand slam to happen, but I also saw Matteo in the locker room and he looked awful. I understand it. There’s nothing much he can do. Things like that happen. We’re all human. I don’t think that it’s going to be a big difference on Sunday.”

Looking at their history, Zverev holds a 3-1 advantage over Cobolli in their H2H battle. Their most recent meeting at Roland Garros came in the third round last year.

On that occasion, Zverev delivered a dominant performance to win 6-2, 7-6(4), 6-1. That result will certainly give him confidence heading into another meeting on the Paris clay.

Now, with the Roland Garros final ready to begin, the tennis world waits to see which player will lift a maiden Grand Slam trophy in Paris.