Matteo Arnaldi, who is ranked 46th in the world, started on a positive note at the Vienna Open by defeating Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the first round. But he could not maintain the tempo against world no.5, Andrey Rublev, losing out in straight sets. However, the Italian impressed one and all with his spectacular athleticism and stupendous resilience that was on display during the match.
Matteo played some breathtaking shots and showcased incredible flexibility, as he performed a full split on the ground while trying to retrieve a shot from Rublev. Though Arnaldi’s gumption was not enough to defeat the Russian, his balance and stretch proved to be a revelation.
That’s gotta hurt 😬@mattearnalds = gymnast#erstebankopen pic.twitter.com/gbTDpP6wy6
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 26, 2023
The image of his split got circulated virally on social media and it even drew comparisons with the Marvel superhero Spider-Man and his acrobatics. Not the one to be left behind, Arnaldi joined in the fun as he reposted it on Instagram with that of Spider-Man in a similar pose. He even tagged his idol, Novak Djokovic with the caption, “I’m coming for u”
Novak Djokovic responds to Matteo Arnaldi:
“First, you need to be facing the net and not the wall. Then we can talk. 😂😂”
Lessons from the original Spider-Man. 🕷️ pic.twitter.com/ffBXSF5MAN
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 27, 2023
Novak, known for his quirkiness, responded to the “Spider-man challenge” in his style, “First, you need to be facing the net and not the wall. Then we can talk”, with a good dosage of emojis. It was as if Arnaldi was receiving lessons from the original Spider-Man.
“Little Djokovic” Matteo Arnaldi compares and analyses facing Novak Djokovic
Matteo has always idolized Novak Djokovic and has great respect for what he does on the court. Calling himself “Little Djokovic”, Arnaldi firmly believes that there are similarities between him and Djokovic, concerning the arsenal they possess. He opined, “…Proportionally there are similarities: I too would define myself as a counter-attacker and I have always done the splits.”
The Italian tennis star also got the opportunity to train with Djokovic and is one of the very few to have shared the court with the legend. Arnaldi added, “Technically I found him extremely clean compared to the others I have played with up to now. His ball is very flat and you have a hard time playing with it…” According to him, the Serb’s game doesn’t give time for the opponent to execute their plans.