Matteo Arnaldi is heartbroken: "I couldn’t move"

Shock at Roland Garros, Matteo Arnaldi withdrew just before the semifinal against Flavio Cobolli due to a virus. The Ligurian tennis player at a press conference explained what happened: “Difficult to be here, I would not have wanted to do it. But last night I was not well, after dinner I felt something in my stomach. I started vomiting, not feeling well, but I couldn’t sleep well.”

“We called the doctor, he gave me something, I hoped it was something due to the dinner. But then I was going back and forth to the bathroom. It’s not easy, for how many hours I spent on the field. I had to withdraw from my first Slam semifinal, I tried to be ready, coming here. But every time I get up, I don’t feel good, if I had to eat it would still be like this.”

Arnaldi was forced to give up the opportunity of a lifetime: “I think it’s a virus, I felt cold, I couldn’t move, I couldn’t drink or eat. No way I could play. I’m sorry for those who came from Italy to see us, I’m happy for Flavio but I’m sorry I didn’t play,” are the words reported by Ubitennis.

On the causes of the virus: “I didn’t take medicine, I just went to dinner. I don’t know, we didn’t understand what it comes from, something similar had happened in Acapulco. I have no idea, definitely I was tired, I played a lot. But I was fine, yesterday I practiced one hour and I was fine, everything according to plan. Since yesterday something happened that we didn’t understand, it’s not the food otherwise it wouldn’t have continued, it’s something viral. I saw Flavio at 6 p.m. in the locker room, when I had to get ready I realized it would be impossible and I told him I would not play. It didn’t make sense, I would have risked injury, and it would have been disrespectful to him and to people.”