French Open Day 13 - Surely now for Zverev?

**Catherine** (0:10)
Hello, and welcome to The Tennis Podcast on one of the weirdest Grand Slam days that any of us can remember. Remember Men's Semi-Final Day at the Australian Open? Yeah, this wasn't that.
We're coming to you early tonight because the second of the two Men's Single Semi-Finals scheduled to start at 7 p.m. half an hour ago has been canceled because Matteo Arnaldi has had to withdraw with a virus. We are currently surrounded by disappointed, chattier ticket holders milling about the place, looking pretty bummed out. Frankly, they will all be receiving refunds, but it is nonetheless a huge blow for them, for the tournament, obviously for Arnaldi, and maybe even Flavio Cobolli too, who despite now being into a maiden Grand Slam final, frankly seems mostly just distraught for his friend. And we know this because we've just been in a press conference with Flavio Cobolli and Matteo Arnaldi. The two of them together, socially distanced at the desk, Arnaldi departing halfway through, leaving just as gutted a looking Cobolli to field questions about the weird circumstances of reaching this final. That press conference, David, was one of the weirdest things that I have ever experienced while covering a Grand Slam.

**David** (1:33)
Yeah, well, it reminded us of the pandemic, really. And we've had a few things that have slightly reminded us of the pandemic, not least the fact that Alexander Zverev is in the final.
You know, it's just one of those.
But when we actually went out for a little wander, we watched the Men's Wheelchair Doubles Final with Alfie Hewitt and Gordon Reed for a while. And just sitting down there, taking in the sun, enjoying that match, good atmosphere. There were French players involved as well, so there's singing. And we just, we'd seen and covered the Alexander Zverev match. And we're waiting for the night session match with Matteo Arnaldi and Flavio Cobolli to take part, take place. And that would have been as we, as we talk to you right now. And then suddenly the announcement comes over the tannoy that Matteo Arnaldi, poor old Matteo, is going to be forced to withdraw. And then we get the notification that they're doing a press conference together. And it just, that sounded absurd. The guy's pulling out with a virus, so you're going to put him in the same room with the guy who's in the final. I mean, lovely, lovely gesture, if that's Flavio's idea. But what are you doing? Anyway, we get to the door of the press conference room, and sure enough, the desk is a really long one, and they were either ends of it, and nobody between.

**Catherine** (3:04)
With the slogan, only at Roland Garros.
Written on the desk, which is absolute perfection. It was really weird, Matt.

**Matt** (3:17)
So weird. I thought the WhatsApp notification announcing the press conference was some kind of mistake. You know, it came through, Cobolli and Arnaldi will be in the main press room at 6.45, and you know, I just thought, okay, well, it'll be one after the other, surely. And then it was together, and then when we got there, seeing it, I mean, yeah, look, it is a nice thing for Cobolli to do, but I'm not sure it was necessarily the right thing to do.
Surely, you just take no risks whatsoever in that situation. I mean, I guess these guys are sharing a locker room, and he's talked about seeing him in there and being told by him, and Zverev mentioned that he saw Arnaldi in the locker room. You know, they've shared these spaces, but surely you just...

**Catherine** (4:05)
Super spreading all over the shop, Arnaldi.

**Matt** (4:07)
You just keep risk to a minimum, I would have thought. Or wear a mask. It was surreal. Yeah, it was surreal.

**Catherine** (4:14)
Yeah, really odd. Look, I've got very complicated feelings about this in terms of Cobolli, because like him doing this, that sort of aspect of his personality is one of the things that has reeled me into being a Cobolli guy. He's such a softy, isn't he? And it was such a lovely, selfless, kind, compassionate thing to do. And so clearly just completely genuine. But it was also an utterly fangless thing to do.
Like, that was not the sensible thing to do at all.

**David** (4:48)
No, and it is a stuffy room, I've got to say. Look, it's probably gonna be fine.
But I even feel like, you know, it's, he's got to get himself into a mindset to try to win this title and to be ruthless and to be able to, you know, I think you'll be able to do that. But at the moment, he seems quite, quite taken aback and jarred by this whole experience.