Zverev downplays impact of Arnaldi withdrawal as Cobolli walks into French Open final

The German was speaking after Matteo Arnaldi's shock withdrawal on Friday saw Cobolli advance without needing to hit a single shot in his semi-final.

Zverev, who battled through four sets against Jakub Mensik, will go into the final as the higher-ranked player, sitting seven places above Cobolli in the ATP standings, but Cobolli is sure to be fresher.

Asked if Cobolli not having to play his semi-final might give him an advantage, however, Zverev responded: "Not really because I feel fine. I didn't have brutally long matches.

"I honestly feel like I could play again now. So, not really."

Zverev was just as saddened as everyone else by Arnaldi's withdrawal and sent a message to the departing Italian in his post-match press conference.

"I think it's not the way that you want a semi-final of a Grand Slam to happen, but I also saw Matteo in the locker room and he looked awful, so I understand it," he said.

"There's nothing much he can do. Things like that happen. We're all human. We don't wish for them to happen, but they do. And I don't think there's going to be a big difference on Sunday."

Zverev has won three of their four matches, having picked up victories at last year's Roland Garros, as well as the Halle Open and the Madrid Open.

Cobolli's sole victory against Zverev came recently, as he defeated the German on home soil at the Munich Open. The Italian won in straight sets to knock Zverev out of the quarter-final of the competition.

Ahead of their meeting on the clay of Roland Garros, Zverev and Cobolli have won one match apiece on the surface, so both will be confident they can pick up the victory.

READ MORE: Flavio Cobolli to face Alexander Zverev in French Open final after late Matteo Arnaldi withdrawal