Arnaldi and his warning before facing Jódar in Rome

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The story of Matteo Arnaldi in the last two weeks is the typical tale of something that can only happen in the world of sports. The Italian has managed to go from being deeply in trouble to coming out lively and joyful, experiencing a sweet moment like the present one. Rafa Jódar, his next opponent in the ATP Rome, will face a player full of confidence.

Let's step back a bit because to reach the current point where Matteo stands, the tennis player from San Remo had to go through a true ordeal in the last year. In Madrid 2025, Arnaldi had one of his best tournaments professionally. He reached the quarterfinals by defeating Novak Djokovic along the way. From there, his troubles began.

A microfracture in his right foot started weighing him down competitively. This was compounded by another misfortune in his left ankle, probably caused by altering his way of stepping due to that microfracture. As a result, the Italian ended the year with just 9 victories in his last 23 matches of 2025. The worst was yet to come in the first four months of this year.

With the doubts that physical problems and lack of results can plant in your mind, Matteo started 2026 with five consecutive defeats. Australia, Indian Wells, Miami, Bucharest, Monte Carlo, failing to pass the qualifiers in Brisbane, Barcelona, and Madrid. The Italian went from feeling in one of the best moments of his career a year ago, fully involved in the Top 40 and in the quarterfinals of an M1000, to being outside the Top 100 and winless in the middle of May.

This is where he makes a decision that completely changes his situation. He goes to Cagliari, where he plays a Challenger 175. There, he ends up winning the title by defeating Hurkacz in the final and fully recovering his confidence. He gets into the draw of Rome thanks to a wildcard, and he takes advantage of it by defeating Munar and De Miñaur, becoming the lowest-ranked Italian to defeat a Top 10 in Rome since Santopadre in 2001.

Misleading Ranking

Although Arnaldi is outside the Top 100, his tennis does not reflect someone who currently holds this position. With confidence, Matteo is one of those underrated players whose name might not instill much fear, but on the court, he is incredibly tough to beat when he's in form.

His growth last year might resemble that of Cobolli or other Italians who initially didn't seem to have a ceiling to aim for higher levels but motivated each other by seeing the country's success in this sport. Perhaps almost no one projects Matteo as a potential Top 30, 25, or 20 player. However, the same was said about Cobolli a year and a half ago, and now Flavio is starting to eye the Top 10 hungrily.

Arnaldi to Face Jódar with Confidence Sky-High

"I'm playing better, reclaiming my tennis, and physically finding myself. Surely, confidence is returning," starts Arnaldi in the mixed zone of the Foro Itálico in Rome, as reported by Ubitennis. "I'm playing freely. I'm not yet at 100%. I finish my matches with some slight physical issue, but I don't complain. I'm happy to be here and play matches that I missed playing. I'm having fun on the court."

ATP Rome, Arnaldi: "I'm still not at 100%, but I'm finding myself. With Jodar, it will be a good battle"https://t.co/KNhVqJlyUi

— Ubitennis (@Ubitennis) May 8, 2026

"When you're injured, it's not fun to play. I like to fight, to play these types of matches. I love playing in front of the Italian audience. What I did in Cagliari and here is bringing me a lot of joy," analyzes Matteo, who will now face Rafa Jódar in Rome. The Spaniard is forewarned of what's coming. The Italian already faces that duel with enthusiasm and dreams of what could happen. "It will be a beautiful battle. Different from today's. He's in form, but I'm sure it will be a very good match," he concludes.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Arnaldi y su aviso antes de enfrentarse a Jódar en Roma