Arthur Fils has caused concern after retiring with injury just two weeks ahead of Roland Garros
Fils has been called a French Open ‘dark horse’ after impressing since returning to the ATP Tour from a back injury that kept him out of action for nearly seven months.
After reaching his second Masters 1000 semifinal in Madrid, Fils had won a practice set against Novak Djokovic in Rome and looked to be in good shape ahead of his first match at the Italian Open.
However, Fils was only able to spend 22 minutes on court before retiring from his match against Andrea Pellegrino.
Arthur Fils reveals hip injury caused him to retire at the Italian Open
Given his recent issues, many had assumed that Fils’ back injury had returned to cause him to retire after losing the first four games of his match against Pellegrino.
However, Fils has now confirmed that is not the case, with L’Equipe reporting that instead he ‘felt a pain in his hip during the second game’.
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Fils has expanded on this, explaining that he is now going to speak to his team about his situation ahead of Roland Garros.
“I tried everything during the match,” Fils said after retiring. “I called the physio to try and treat it, but it didn’t work.
“Unfortunately, I had to stop a little while later. These things happen. I’m going to get treatment, I’m going to talk with the team, we’re going to make some decisions.
“I just couldn’t take any risks before Roland Garros. There’s no other information I can give.”
What is Arthur Fils’ best result at Roland Garros?
Fils had been in sensational form prior to his retirement in Rome, and is currently fourth in the live race to the ATP Finals.
However, the Frenchman has been handed a huge setback with just two weeks to go until the start of his home Grand Slam.
Fils’ injury issues started at Roland Garros last year, where he was unable to play his third round match due to his back problem.
That was Fils’ best ever result at Roland Garros, having lost in the first round in his two previous appearances in 2023 and 2024.
| Year | Arthur Fils’ result at Roland Garros |
| 2023 | First Round |
| 2024 | First Round |
| 2025 | Third Round |
Fils will be hoping that his hip injury is nowhere near as significant as his back problem, even more so given the 21-year-old’s recent Grand Slam record.
Despite winning 10 of his 18 matches in Grand Slam main draws, Fils is still yet to win a best-of-five set match in straight sets.
Fils will now look to focus on his recovery, with the main draw of Roland Garros this year starting on Sunday, May 24.
