Arthur Fils will not play Roland Garros. The French Tennis Federation confirmed the withdrawal of the world No. 17, unable to recover from a hip injury sustained during his retirement at the Rome Masters against Andrea Pellegrino.
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For the 21-year-old Frenchman, the cruelty borders on the absurd. Last year, he gritted his teeth through two rounds before a stress fracture in his back ended his tournament and sidelined him for eight months. This time, the verdict came before he even stepped onto Court Philippe-Chatrier.
"Felt something during the match in Rome. I ran all the tests with the team and everything is clear. Already back to work for Paris," Fils had posted on X after Rome. The work wasn't enough. The hip couldn't keep pace with the ambition.
The timing stings all the more because Fils was enjoying his best clay season. Since returning in January, the left-hander had strung together a Doha final, a Miami semifinal, the Barcelona title, and nine consecutive clay-court victories before Rome cut the momentum short. Stan Wawrinka will now face lucky loser Jesper de Jong in the opening round instead.
Roland Garros without Fils is Roland Garros without one of France's brightest hopes. At 21, he has time to come back. But two consecutive withdrawals from the tournament that matters most to him leave scars no MRI can detect.
