Marathon man Matteo Arnaldi insists he still has energy left to continue his shock French Open run.
The 25-year-old, who is ranked 104, will play fellow Italian Flavio Cobolli in the semi-finals at Roland Garros on Friday in what is by a distance the best tournament of his life.
And Arnaldi has certainly done things the hard way, having survived two five-set matches, including a remarkable escape in a fourth-round win over Frances Tiafoe lasting five hours and 26 minutes.
In total, he has spent 19 hours and 42 minutes on court in his five matches, setting a new grand slam record by more than hour despite not even completing two sets of his quarter-final against countryman Matteo Berrettini.
The former Wimbledon finalist suffered more injury heartache, with a hip problem forcing him to retire in tears.
The pair are good friends so there were mixed feelings for Arnaldi, who must now prepare to face another man he knows extremely well in 10th seed Cobolli.
“It’s crazy to think I’m in the semi-finals,” said Arnaldi. “I’m feeling pretty good, actually. Obviously it was a question mark, because I played two long matches in a row.
“I can’t complain. I have been playing a lot but, at the same time, I’m happy to be on court and to spend time on court, because I missed the playing. I for sure have some energy left for the next matches.”
Arnaldi’s run is all the more surprising because he has struggled with a foot injury this year, winning just two of his first 10 matches prior to picking up a second-tier Challenger title in Cagliari last month.
“I was struggling because I wasn’t able to practise, wasn’t able to do what I liked,” he said. “I was in a tunnel and I didn’t see the light.”
Arnaldi reached a high of 30th in the rankings two years ago – he is guaranteed to be 34th at worst on Monday – and this fortnight has proved to the man from Sanremo that he has what it takes.
“I feel like I always see myself as a fighter, as someone that would give everything on court, but I never actually played these kind of matches, that long, and in a row,” he said.
“I feel like I’m finding myself again. I’m really happy that it’s happening here.”
Arnaldi, who also beat former finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round, will be the underdog again against Cobolli, who fought back from a set down to take out fourth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime.
The other semi-final pits overwhelming title favourite Alexander Zverev against 20-year-old rising star Jakub Mensik.
The Czech won the next-generation battle against Joao Fonseca in the quarter-finals, impressing former world number one John McEnroe with his all-round game.
McEnroe, who is working on TNT Sports’ coverage of the tournament, said: “I didn’t know how quick Mensik was at that height.
“The way he got up to those drop shops. He was just was so skilful with that feel. I’ll tell you, he’s going to be a handful for the next 10 years.”
The physical side could be a question mark for Mensik, who collapsed on court at the end of his second-round match in the heat of the first week, while he suffered with cramp in his press conference after beating Fonseca.
The mental test, meanwhile, appears to be Zverev’s biggest hurdle, with the path wide open to a long-sought-after first grand slam title.
At 29, Zverev may never have a better chance, and he has handled the pressure with aplomb so far, dropping just one set.
“Everyone, including myself, feels he’s going to win this,” added McEnroe. “It could open the door for winning multiple ones. Or it could be the other side of the coin – if he doesn’t win this, he’ll never win. So there’s a lot riding on this for Sascha.”
