We now know who will contest the men’s Roland Garros final, but not in the way many had hoped.
With Alexander Zverev having already booked his place after getting past Jakub Mensik, a lot of fans were looking forward to an all-Italian semi-final between Flavio Cobolli and Matteo Arnaldi.
That match never happened, though, as Arnaldi was forced to pull out before play even began.
Arnaldi later explained that he’d come down with a virus, which ruled him out. Tim Henman shared his disappointment with Arnaldi, who was due to make his Grand Slam semi-final debut.
Tim Henman reacts as Matteo Arnaldi withdraws from Roland Garros
Henman was on air with TNT Sports when the news broke and shared his immediate thoughts.
He said: “I am so sad and disappointed. First and foremost I am sad for Arnaldi. He has worked so hard. For Cobolli it is a really bizarre scenario. There are times early on in a small tournament you get a walkover, and you say you are disappointed to move on, but actually you are quite pleased because you get a day off.
“But semis of a Grand Slam for both of them. It’s really a nightmare. It’s a nightmare for the fans and the tournament.
“They have one match in the evening session, and it doesn’t take place. You just feel so awful for Arnaldi.”
Zverev spoke about the French Open crowd after he won his semi-final, and he hopes to have them on his side this Sunday as he bids to make history.
Zverev vs Cobolli: A look at their head-to-head history
It’s certainly not the build-up anyone expected, but attention now turns to Sunday’s final between Zverev and Cobolli.
The two have faced each other a few times already, and while Zverev has the upper hand overall, their last meeting offers an interesting note ahead of this final.
Cobolli won their most recent encounter in April, taking down Zverev in the Munich semi-finals. However, that remains his only win against the German in four matches.
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