The second semifinal in men's singles Roland Garros was heartbreaking: Matteo Arnaldi had to withdraw from the match against Italian compatriot Flavio Cobolli due to a viral illness. Arnaldi said he vomited in the night from Thursday to Friday and was physically impossible for him to step into a court and compete. Arnaldi informed Cobolli of his decision and both gave a press conference.
"Yesterday I was feeling okay. I came here to practise. I did everything I had to do, and I was feeling fine. 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 I started vomiting, and I wasn't feeling the best."
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And how did Cobolli react? In the press conference, he explained he had a mix of emotions; "sad and happy at the same time". "When he came to me almost one hour ago, I almost cried. It's something that you don't expect at all. I was ready to play this match. When he came, I was completely sad for him."
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"But, at the same time, of course I'm really happy with the result that I reached this week. My dad also came to me right before him, and we had a big hug together with the whole team for achieving the Top 10. Every time that I make the best ranking, we all together have a big hug. We did the same routine as always. Now I'm sad and happy at the same time."
A nice gesture for Cobolli was to still go into the court and practice in front of the fans who had paid to watch the final and were naturally disappointed. Now, 24-year-old Flavio Cobolli, ranked 14th in the world, reaches his first final and will face World No. 3 Alexander Zverev.