Matteo Arnaldi

Matteo Arnaldi is the Ligurian product of Italy's deep new-generation wave who built his game on grind rather than firepower. He began playing tennis at five and trained at the Tennis Sanremo academy in his hometown, a choice he credits for his development given the favorable climate and prevalence of clay courts, though he grew up preferring hard courts. He broke into the Top 500 in September 2021, the Top 200 in August 2022 and the Top 100 in May 2023 — a measured climb, not an overnight one.

Stylistically he's the counter to the serve-bot archetype. His game isn't built solely around power; his physical profile supports a more complete style, letting him defend effectively while stepping inside the court when openings arise. At 6'1", he's a right-hander who wins with movement, depth and a willingness to live in long baseline rallies — the kind of player who turns matches into endurance tests.

The breakout came in 2023: a first Top-10 win over Casper Ruud at the Madrid Open, a maiden ATP semifinal in Umag, and a run to the US Open fourth round past Cameron Norrie before Carlos Alcaraz ended it. He capped the year as part of the Italy team that won the Davis Cup, beating Alexei Popyrin in the opening singles rubber of the final. He reached his career-high No. 30 in August 2024 after advancing to his first Masters 1000 semifinal in Montreal, the same season he made the French Open last 16 by beating Andrey Rublev.

The current beat dwarfs all of it. At Roland-Garros 2026, Arnaldi beat Tallon Griekspoor, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Raphael Collignon, then overcame Frances Tiafoe in a five-set match lasting five hours and 26 minutes to reach his first major quarterfinal. He advanced to the semifinals when Matteo Berrettini retired, then withdrew before facing Flavio Cobolli because of illness — a maiden Slam semifinal reached, if not played.