French Open 2026: Local hope Arthur Fils pulls out of Roland-Garros Grand Slam on eve of tournament
Updated 23/05/2026 at 15:55 GMT+1
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French hopeful Arthur Fils has stunned locals by pulling out of the 2026 French Open the day before the tournament begins because of injury.
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The world No. 19 was due to face 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka in the first round on Monday, while he had a practice set planned with fellow Frenchman Gael Monfils on Court Suzanne-Lenglen on Saturday afternoon.
But after training on Philippe Chatrier on Saturday morning, the French No. 1 brought forward his pre-tournament press conference and confirmed his withdrawal.
He told reporters in Paris: "I can't explain anything. Not even me, I don't know. It's just pain, pain that's bothering me. When I step on the court, and just here, it's never going [away].
"If it was the last tournament of my life, I would have played, but now that I have 10 or 15 more years, it would be a mistake."
There were doubts over the 21-year-old's fitness after he retired from his opening match at the Italian Open earlier this month, just 22 minutes into the contest.
Fils also withdrew from the French Open last year before his third-round match, after struggling with an injury during his five-set victory over Jaume Munar in the second round.
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Jaume Munar - Arthur Fils - Roland Garros highlights
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It was later confirmed that he had suffered a stress fracture in his back, and aside from the Canadian Open in July 2025, he did not play again until this February.
Discussing the nature of the injury this time around, Fils said: ”It’s definitely not the same as last year.
"After that, I don’t know if it’s the lower back, the hip, or the psoas, I don’t know. It’s this area that’s been bothering me for a couple of weeks. I can’t say more than that right now, because I don’t even know myself.”
He added: "If I played, I wouldn't have been at 100%. Not even 50%, probably. I don't want to take any risks, like I did last year; I don't want to be stupid.
"It's a massive disappointment, of course. It's Paris, everyone wants to play in Paris. But it's okay. It's not a drama."
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Fils had been in promising form before his withdrawal in Rome, with victory on clay in Barcelona, sandwiched between a semi-final in Miami and a run to the final in Madrid, where he lost to Jannik Sinner.
The 21-year-old also reached the final of the Qatar Open earlier this year, before being beaten by Carlos Alcaraz.
This latest injury setback extends his wait to once again complete a match at a Grand Slam tournament, with his last full contest coming in the third round of the Australian Open in 2025.
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