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Flavio Cobolli during the 2026 French Open at Roland Garros.

Flavio Cobolli advanced to the 2026 French Open final after his semifinal opponent, Matteo Arnaldi, withdrew due to illness an hour before the match.

While it’s not how Cobolli wanted to reach his first career final, where he’ll face Alexander Zverev (No. 2) on June 7, he’s excited for the opportunity before him.

“You know, when [Arnaldi] came to me almost one hour ago, I almost cried,” Cobolli told reporters. “It’s something that you don’t expect at all. I was ready to play this match. When he came, I was completely sad for him.”

GettyFlavio Cobolli competes in the 2026 French Open final for the first time.

“But, at the same time, of course, I’m really happy for the result that I reached this week. My dad also came to me right before him, and we had a big hug together with the whole team for achieving for the Top 10. Every time that I make the best ranking, we all together have a big hug. We did the same routine as always.”

Cobolli’s girlfriend, Matilde Galli, is hoping to see him lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires on Saturday. While they’re in a long-distance relationship, Galli, who’s studying to become a hospital sanitary director, never misses a match.

Cobolli and Galli first met at a friend’s party while the tennis star was 18 and ranked outside the Top 1000. “I knew her when I was no one,” he said, per the ATP Tour.

Flavio Cobolli Once Joked He’d Win if His Girlfriend, Matidle Galli, Wasn’t in Attendance

While Cobolli shares sweet posts of his girlfriend on social media, Galli keeps a low profile. Her Instagram account remains private. After losing the BMW Open final to Ben Shelton in April, Cobolli put Galli in the spotlight.

“I call yesterday my girlfriend, and I said, ‘Please don’t let me lose,’ but she does,” he told the crowd with a laugh. “So, maybe next final you stay home!” Galli smiled and laughed along with the crowd.

Jokes aside, he prefers to have her at games and asked Galli to join him on the ATP Tour after a streak of losses.

The 24-year-old also knows he’s found the one he’ll marry with Galli. “I love her a lot, and I think she also loves me,” Cobolli said, the ATP Tour reported. “We are very young, but we already have a great experience with ourselves and our lives to say that she’s the one that I want to have for all my life.”

Flavio Cobolli Admits a Long-Distance Relationship With Girlfriend Is ‘Tough’ While on Tour

“It is tough because we don’t see each other a lot during the year because she’s studying and I do this life [as a tennis player],” Cobolli said. “It’s tough because you always want to see her during the year, but it’s not possible. And we always try to find a way to be together [even when we are apart].”

However, he knows her life doesn’t revolve around tennis, nor does he want it to. “My best dream is watching her happy in what she does,” Cobolli said. “Your family is very important because we spend our time really well, we do many things that we normally cannot do. So my dream is to have more time with her and to see her happy in whatever she does.

“When she’s nervous [studying for an exam], I try to be kind to her and help make her life easier. But it’s not easy when you’re always on the Tour, and you have pressure everywhere and have another pressure at home. It’s not easy,” Cobolli said. “But I think we are doing well. We have a great relationship.”