After reaching in Paris the round of 16 for the second time in a Major in his budding career, Matteo Arnaldo is departing from Paris with positive feelings, and further stimuli.

Two days after scoring his first win over a top 10 in a major he was also ever so close to toppling the 2021 Roland Garros finalist. Thanks to this result he will also move up to his best ranking, No. 34, vying to be seeded at Wimbledon.

Ubitennis: “How did you feel when you lost the second set? He had definitely raised the level of his game but you had slightly retreated. Do you have any particular regrets on the four set points?”

“Honestly I don’t remember those points exactly: in the first two sets I played very well, then he grew a lot. Saving set points gave him great confidence and from then on he managed to find the  way, but I dropped a bit. I tried to look for a solution, but I lost intensity as the minutes went by. The truth is that I’m still not used to playing these matches, I’m trying to learn how to do it, maybe I could have served better at 5-4, but in general he was good, you have to be honest. Of course there is some regret, because I was one step away from being two sets ahead, but I have nothing to reproach myself with. Stefanos knows how to play this kind of matches are played and I take this opportunity to congratulate him, he was amazing.”

“You played with a former world No. 3 at his level. Where do you think you need to improve to get even closer to the level of these champions?”

“I have to work on many aspects, first of all on continuity, ‘3 out of 5’ I had never played a tight match against a top 10 player, here instead I played two in a row, in 48 hours, and at an excellent level, and I believe it’s a good step forward. These are two matches that make me very proud, I have nothing to reproach myself with, I’m happy with how I performed on court. My level is rising game after game. I lost in 3 sets to Alcaraz in New York and to De Minaur in Melbourne without practically ever getting into the match. Here at Roland Garros I beat the number 6 and I battled with Tsitsipas who is number 9 but who is worth much more, and in fact he has played two slam finals in his career.”

“In these two matches you really looked boosted up. The feeling is that you are comfortable in this type of match, in Grand Slam tournaments, and on a big stage. Is that true?”

“Yes, that’s true. I enjoy playing 3 out of 5. I like it when the matches get very physical and of course I like to play in stadiums like that. I’m learning to adapt to these situations that are completely new to me and I think I’m improving. It must be said that players like Rublev and Tsitsipas have much more experience, they know how to manage the moments of such  long and important matches, I have only just begun.”

Stefanos Tsitsipas is into the quarter-finals of Roland Garros after a 3-6 7-6(4) 6-2 6-2 victory over Matteo Arnaldi.

The world number nine is into his fourth Roland Garros quarter-final after coming back from a set and a break down to beat the in-form Italian.

A last eight meeting with world number three Carlos Alcaraz awaits.

The Greek made the perfect start as he was aggressive on the backhand side to create three break points.

However Arnaldi was confident in the big moments and the Italian saved them before some incredible tactical play allowed the world number 35 to break in the fourth game for a 3-1 lead.

There was continued pressure from Tsitsipas but ultimately the former finalist was too passive on the big points.

That was quite the opposite approach from Arnaldi, who produced some big forehands to save break points in the seventh game before taking the opening set in 36 minutes.

In the second set, Tsitsipas’ frustrations grew stronger as Arnaldi’s confidence continued as he outsmarted Tsitsipas from the baseline and from the net.

The Italian broke in the fifth game for a 3-2 lead and was seemingly heading towards a two set to love lead as Tsitsipas was playing some of the worst tennis of his career.

However slowly but surely, Tsitsipas managed to find ways to force errors from Arnaldi’s game as he started to build more consistency on his return game.

That managed to be useful in the big moments as Tsitsipas saved three break points in order to force Arnaldi to serve for the match.

The Italian was tight and didn’t have the same spark to his play as the Greek took advantage, converting his second break point of the game.

That was the moment that Tsitsipas needed to return to his confident level of play as he forced a tiebreak and played some sensational tennis to level up the match at one set all.

From then on Tsitsipas never looked back as he completely neutralized Arnaldi’s game with angles and depth.

The Greek was clutch when break points down and was clinical on return as he broke on four occasions to seal a very good win.

Now Tsitsipas will need to improve his level as he plays Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals on Tuesday.

Novak Djokovic has hailed the support he received from the Parisian crowd during his third round match at the French Open which didn’t conclude until the early hours of Sunday morning.

The top seed battled his way to a rollercoaster 7-5, 6-7(6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-0, victory over Italian world No.30 Lorenzo Musetti after more than four-and-half hours of play. Due to poor weather affecting the schedule at Roland Garros, Djokovic didn’t walk onto the court until late at night and didn’t seal victory until 3:07am local time. Making it the latest match to ever finish in the history of the Grand Slam. 

“I was in real trouble. Credit to Lorenzo for making me uncomfortable on court and playing some really amazing tennis, really high level,” Tennis Majors quoted Djokovic as saying during his post-match press conference.
“At one point, I didn’t know what to do. From both ends, he was getting a lot of balls back, winners from both corners, good servers, running every ball down the court. It didn’t feel great playing him in that third set and the beginning of the fourth.”

The 24-time major champion says he managed to regain his momentum with the help of fans cheering him in from the stands. He is bidding to become the first player other than Rafael Nadal to win back-to-back titles in Paris since Gustavo Kuerten more than 20 years ago. 

“I really mean what I said on the court that the crowd definitely got me going,” he continued.
“I really needed that push, I needed that energy at two-all in the fourth. They started chanting my name, and I just felt a great new wave of willpower and energy. I think I was a different player from that moment onwards. I think from that moment onwards I only lost one game.
“The fifth set was just amazing. I was on a high, riding that wave and really not letting go of that stranglehold that I created on Lorenzo at the end of the fourth. I just kept going, kept on plugging away and an amazing winner to finish the match.
“I heard it was the latest finish of Roland-Garros in history, so I’m glad to be part of the history with Lorenzo. 
“I told him at the net that he played amazing and it was a great battle. I know it’s a tough one to swallow, but he can be proud of his performance.”

Djokovic’s late-night triumph is his 369th Grand Slam win which now puts him level with Roger Federer for the most victories in history. Overall, he has played more than 400 matches at this level. 

However, his clash with Musetti will be one that he will not forget for a while.

“It was so muggy and so heavy conditions, very cold, the balls were not going anywhere. You weren’t getting too many free points off the serve, so you had to work every single point of the night tonight, and that’s why I really physically pushed myself to the limit tonight.” He commented. 

It can be argued that Djokovic is now at a disadvantage compared to others due to his late-night finish which could hinder his preparation for his next match.  A debate the Serbian is reluctant to get involved in. 

“I have my opinions, but I think there are great things to talk about instead. Both Lorenzo’s and my performances stood out, I don’t want to be talking about scheduling I think some things could have been handled a different way,” said Djokovic. 
“But there’s beauty as well, I guess, winning a match at 3:30am… If it’s the last one of the tournament. But it’s not, so I’m going to have to switch on all of my young genes and try to recover as soon as possible.”

Djokovic will next play Francisco Cerundolo in the last 16. He is required to reach at least the final in Paris to prevent Jannik Sinner from snatching his No.1 ranking.