Matteo Arnaldi's troubled relationship with hard courts took another painful turn on Tuesday, when the Italian was forced to retire from his first-round match at the ATP 500 in Washington after just 40 minutes, citing pain in his foot.
Trailing 6-0 3-1 against compatriot Lorenzo Musetti, Arnaldi walked to the net and indicated his foot, abruptly ending what had been a one-sided contest. It was the latest chapter in a physical saga that has shadowed the 24-year-old since the 2025 Australian Open, where he first felt discomfort during another match against Musetti.
"An hour of a match, especially the way I play, does not exist," Arnaldi said earlier this year at the peak of his frustration. The comment now rings louder than ever.
The foot problem, which began as a left ankle issue before creating overcompensation in his right foot, forced Arnaldi to manage his schedule around pain for the better part of 2025. He played through the North American hard court swing and the Asian swing on anti-inflammatories until the medication stopped working. At Indian Wells in March, Arnaldi suffered a 6-0 6-1 defeat to Mackenzie McDonald, a scoreline that reflected not just form but physical depletion.
Clay offered respite. The slower surface and forgiving slides gave him enough comfort to win the Challenger 175 in Cagliari in May. That success carried into a stunning run at Roland Garros, where he reached the semi-finals — only to be denied the chance to play in it by a violent intestinal virus that struck him the night before his match against Flavio Cobolli.
Wimbledon followed without pain, but the transition back to hard courts in Washington has brought the issue roaring back.
No official diagnosis has been released since Tuesday's retirement, and Arnaldi's camp has not commented on the severity of the setback. What is clear is that the US hard court season, with the US Open just weeks away, now presents a serious challenge for a player whose body has yet to fully cooperate with his ambition.
Arnaldi, who climbed to a career-high ranking of No. 34 after his Roland Garros run, has slipped to No. 56. Without a reliable physical foundation for the five-set grind of Flushing Meadows, his participation in the season's final major is now in doubt.
Sources
- https://www.ubitennis.com/blog/2026/07/28/arnaldi-un-altro-stop-per-problema-al-piede-valutazioni-in-vista-dei-prossimi-tornei/
