France’s chances at their home Grand Slam tournament took a hit Saturday when rising star Arthur Fils announced his withdrawal from the French Open due to persistent hip problems.
The 21-year-old player, currently ranked 19th globally, had emerged as a possible championship contender following his recent victory in Barcelona and reaching the semifinals in Madrid. However, he was forced to retire during his match in Rome earlier this month while losing to Andrea Pellegrino in the second round.
“In Rome I felt a little bit like around the hip, you know, pain. It was bothering me a lot. I didn’t want to take any risk,” Fils told reporters. He mentioned that medical tests afterward appeared “pretty fine,” but the discomfort continued.
“I wasn’t able to practice for the last two weeks. Actually, the practice today was my first points since two weeks in Rome,” Fils explained.
“I’ll not be fit 100% to play the tournament, and I’ll not take any risk like I did last year. I don’t want to be stupid.”
Fils had been scheduled to play against Stan Wawrinka in his first-round match.
This withdrawal continues a troubling pattern of injuries that have hampered the young player’s career development. A year ago, he was forced to abandon Roland Garros following the second round due to a stress fracture in his lower back.
That back injury essentially ended Fils’ entire season last year, and an attempted comeback in Toronto during August proved too early, requiring another extended recovery period.
After returning to competition in February, Fils showed strong form with impressive performances in Doha, Indian Wells, and Miami before capturing the Barcelona title, where he defeated Andrey Rublev in the championship match for his first victory since his injury comeback.
Yannick Noah remains the sole Frenchman to capture a Grand Slam title during the professional era, winning his home tournament in 1983.
The French Open tournament starts Sunday.
