Italian Matteo Arnaldi is one of the first international players to touch down in Melbourne ahead of Australian Open 2024.
The 22-year-old arrived this week and is already practising at Melbourne Park, as he prepares to make his main-draw debut at the tournament.
“I can’t wait,” Arnaldi told ausopen.com after completing a gym session on site.
The world No.44 was thrilled to see his name on the direct acceptance list released earlier on Thursday, having lost in the final qualifying round at AO 2023.
“Last year I went really close,” Arnaldi said. “I lost to an Australian (Max Purcell in qualifying).
“It is the only Grand Slam that is missing for me, because this year I played Roland Garros, Wimbledon and US Open main draws, so I’m really looking forward to playing here.”
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Arnaldi was one of the breakout stars of the 2023 season, rising almost 100 ranking positions and earning an ATP Awards nomination in the peer-voted Most Improved Player of the Year category.
He qualified at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, tallied 20 main-draw wins at tour-level and soared to a career-high ranking of world No.41.
“This was my first full year on tour, and it wasn’t even full, because at the start of the year I was still playing a lot of ATP Challengers,” he said.
Arnaldi also scored two top-20 wins in his career-best season, beating world No.4 Casper Ruud at Madrid and world No.16 Cameron Norrie to reach the US Open fourth round.
He finished an outstanding season on a high, winning a pivotal match in the Davis Cup final to help Italy secure a first title in 47 years.
Arnaldi joked he was a little nervous travelling to Australia, following his three-set win against local star Alexei Popyrin in the high-pressure Davis Cup final.
But there was extra incentive to arrive early, as he has close ties to Melbourne.
“My girlfriend is from Melbourne, so it’s good for me to stay here in the hot weather and practice,” he explained.
“(Plus) this year, it feels like home for me.”
After an intense training block, Arnaldi plans to spend Christmas with his girlfriend Mia’s family.
“Basically, I’ve just started my preseason,” Arnaldi said. “I did one week before Davis Cup, but then I had matches and a few days off.
“So, I’m going to do three or four weeks of preseason here (in Melbourne), then I’ll play Brisbane.”
It will be the first visit to Queensland’s capital city for Arnaldi, who is among 16 top-50 men set to compete at the Brisbane International this summer.
“I’m very much looking forward to it,” Arnaldi said. “My girlfriend told me that Brisbane is really nice for the beaches.”
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Yet hard work remains the focus for Arnaldi as he eyes a deep run at the Australian Open.
“I want to try to do better than at the US Open, that’s a goal,” he declared.
His main goal for the upcoming 2024 season is to build his ranking high enough to be seeded at Grand Slam and ATP Masters 1000 events.
“I’m going to try to improve day-by-day and set my level on the ATP Tour,” Arnaldi said.