Andy Roddick stands firm for Matteo Arnaldi: The stunning defence that has fans talking

Matteo Arnaldi withdrew from the French Open semi-final due to illness

Matteo Arnaldi was forced to miss his French Open semi-final due to illness. Scheduled to play Flavio Cobolli, Arnaldi pulled out shortly before the match was due to begin.

The Italian had come down with a viral infection, ruling him out of what would have been the most significant match of his career so far.

Some fans voiced their frustration over his decision to withdraw, but Andy Roddick has come out in defence of the Italian. The former Grand Slam champion didn’t hold back in addressing critics who questioned Arnaldi’s choice not to play through illness.

He made it clear that no player would voluntarily step away from a Grand Slam semi-final without good reason.

Andy Roddick backs Arnaldi’s withdrawal from the French Open

Roddick addressed the situation during an episode of ‘Quick Served’: “People are like, ‘Oh, you have a virus, you can’t play a set?’. But if you have nothing in your body, think about the amount of time he has spent on court this week,” Roddick explained.

“I am not a doctor; I don’t know what happened. But all I know is if your body is run down, fatigued, and under extreme stress, what are you more susceptible to? Viruses, sickness.”

“Your body is run down; it reacts a certain way. Is it just paying the bill? Is it unlucky? All of it makes sense. You cannot have nothing in your system and not sleep.”

“It’s not just about today, because you cannot put four or five hours in today if you have nothing in your body; it’s not normal.”

“But think about when you get sick, and you’re vomiting, you don’t feel great three days later. You are not playing five-set matches. You can out run it maybe if it’s one match. If it’s two, you cannot make your body do what it can’t do.”

Arnaldi had already played two five-setters at Roland Garros before his withdrawal

The Italian managed to overcome Raphael Collignon and Frances Tiafoe despite each match going the full distance.

This wasn’t an ordinary workload for Arnaldi either. Unlike Alexander Zverev or Jannik Sinner who regularly reach the latter stages of Grand Slams, Arnaldi isn’t used to this level of play so deep into major tournaments.

Pushing through several five-setters was always going to test his limits. It’ll be something he learns from as he aims to come back stronger next time around.

Matteo Arnaldi wasn’t able to take part in his French Open semi-final. Just minutes before he was scheduled to face Flavio Cobolli, the Italian pulled out of the tournament.

Arnaldi, who came down with a viral illness, missed what would have been the biggest match of his career so far. Andy Roddick has since spoken up about the decision, defending Arnaldi against those questioning why he didn’t play.

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