France's top tennis player Arthur Fils pulled out of the 2026 French Open on Saturday, citing the same hip injury that forced him to abandon his first second-round tie against Andrea Pellegrino at the Italian Open two weeks ago.
Issued on: 23/05/2026 - 18:06
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"It’s a shame," said the 21-year-old, who was seeded 17th and scheduled to play the 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka in the opening round. "In Rome, I felt some discomfort in my hip, and I didn’t want to take any risks," Fils added. "After I had some tests done, everything seemed fine but I was still in pain and couldn’t train." Fils, who was on the sidelines for eight months with a back issue after pulling out of his third-round match at last year's French Open, said: "It’s definitely not the same injury, but I don’t know exactly. I can’t explain it, there’s just pain. And it doesn’t go away when I’m on the court. "If this were the last tournament of my life, I would have played, but I hope to have another 10 or 15 years ahead of me, so I don’t want to make the same mistakes again."
Arthur Fils celebrates after defeating Tommy Paul of the United States in their quarter-final match at the Miami Open on 25 March 2026. © Getty Images via AFP - RICH STORRY
