Arnaldi builds on the Italian dream

“Do you like pasta and pizza? Yeah, so maybe that,” he quipped.

It is a fitting glimpse into the world No.35’s laidback disposition, taking it all in his stride.

Nothing appears to phase him on court or off it and it is an outlook that is having a positive effect on his day job.

“That's the key for me for sure. My personality is to be pretty chill, easygoing and if I can bring it on court I can play good,” Arnaldi told rolandgarros.com. “Today I think was one of the best matches at a Grand Slam that I ever played. Playing for three sets, that tennis that I played, playing really good continuously, was the key and I was a bit surprised also that I could do it for three sets in a row.

“That's a very important thing to bring home today. I think that's what brought me the victory because it's never easy.”

Arnaldi’s first top 20 win on clay and first top 10 victory at a Slam came on an unbeaten day for the Italians.

Unseeded Elisabetta Cocciaretto was first into the fourth round, while second seed Jannik Sinner later joined the pair in the second week.

Men’s 30th seed Lorenzo Musetti and women’s 12th seed Jasmine Paolini could make it five should they find a way past defending champion Novak Djokovic and Bianca Andreescu, respectively.

“We know each other since a long time. Elisabetta I've known since I was like 11, 12 and the same with all the others - Jannik, Lorenzo, Luciano [Darderi] and all the others, I can't name everyone.

“It just gives you a little push because you grew up together and you see them succeed so you want to do it the same, so I think this gives us that little confidence to go on court and do that little more and right now it's working.”

One of nine Italian men in the top 100, six of whom are 23 or under, Arnaldi has his work cut out to make a name for himself among a stacked pack.

He managed to do so as one of the stars of the Davis Cup final against Australia last November, when he and his more decorated countryman, Sinner, spearheaded their nation’s first triumph in the team competition since 1976.

The Sanremo-born right-hander earned the call-up following his big-match exploits at Flushing Meadows only two months earlier when he won his first five-setter over Arthur Fils and breezed past 16th seed Cameron Norrie before then-world No.1 Carlos Alcaraz halted him in the fourth round.

“For sure New York is the one that helped me the most,” he said. “I played on the biggest stadium against Carlos, the world No.1. It was completely full, so I think after that I was a bit more relaxed. You can't get bigger than that, so I think that was the best experience that I could have ever asked for.

“I think after that I knew that I could play good tennis, I knew that I could do well in the Slams. For sure today [against Rublev], doing that fourth round in New York helped me to be more relaxed when I was going to close the match.

“Today when I went to serve, I wasn't calm for sure, but they told me on the outside that you couldn't see that I was nervous. That's the point for me, that's what I wanted to show.”

Arnaldi has a shot at his first Grand Slam quarter-final when he meets ninth seed and former finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas.

The Greek, for one, has kept on eye on his younger rival’s progress over the past six months and is not taking him lightly ahead of their first encounter.

“He's a very good fighter. When it comes to the battle, he will fight and he will not give up,” Tsitsipas said. “This is something for sure that I do expect… He gets really into the game, and this is something that I for sure need to approach it with caution.”

Following an early departure from this year’s Australian Open, Arnaldi and his girlfriend made their way back to his base in Monte Carlo in time to watch Sinner on television making more history for Italy in the men’s singles final.

The impact of his triumph was profound back home and capped a spectacular couple of months for his nation on the sport’s biggest stages.

“I think after Davis Cup was the biggest we had,” Arnaldi said. “Then Jannik winning a Grand Slam in Australia increased it even more – tennis is becoming bigger and bigger, so we are receiving a lot of support. A lot of crowds, a lot of people are coming to watch us all over the world. That's what we enjoy. You feel that tennis is becoming something important in Italy and that's what we want. You always like to bring the sport to the top in your country.”