Arthur Fils withdraws from French Open

Arthur Fils withdrew from the French Open on Saturday, saying a lingering hip injury had not healed enough for him to play his home Grand Slam. The 21-year-old French No. 1 had been due to face 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka in the first round at Roland Garros. Tournament and ATP officials said Dutch lucky loser Jesper de Jong took his place in the draw. The main draw begins Sunday, May 24, in Paris. ### What exactly did Fils say about the injury? Arthur Fils told reporters in Paris on Saturday that he would not be able to compete this year. “I’m not going to be able to play here this year. It’s a shame, of course. I’m very sorry about it,” he said, according to ATP Tour and Roland Garros reports. (atptour.com) The Frenchman said the problem began in Rome earlier this month, when he felt pain around his hip. Fils said medical tests did not show a clear issue, but the pain persisted and prevented him from practicing for two weeks. He said Saturday’s session in Paris was his first time hitting since Rome. (atptour.com) ### How does this connect to his retirement in Rome? Fils retired after four games of his opening match at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on May 9, with Andrea Pellegrino leading 4-0 when the match ended. ATP Tour coverage at the time described it as a physical issue, and Fils said two days later on social media that he had undergone tests and that “everything is clear” as he targeted Paris. (atptour.com) May 23 brought a different update. Fils said the pain had continued despite those examinations and that he did not want to take the same kind of risk he felt he had taken last year. Roland Garros said the injury stemmed from a practice session during the Rome Masters earlier this month. ### Why did he decide not to try to play through it? (atptour.com) Fils said his level of fitness was too low to justify taking the court. Roland Garros quoted him as saying he was “not even at 50 percent” of his normal condition. The French Tennis Federation reported that he stopped a Saturday practice after about 20 minutes because of pain. (atptour.com) The ATP said Fils was unsure whether the pain was coming from his lower back, hip or psoas, but that he knew it had bothered him for weeks. He said he was thinking about the longer term when he chose to pull out rather than force himself through another major event while injured. ### What does the withdrawal change in the draw? (rolandgarros.com) Stan Wawrinka lost his scheduled first-round opponent when Fils withdrew, and Jesper de Jong moved into the draw as a lucky loser, according to ATP Tour and Roland Garros. That switch came on the eve of the tournament, removing the top French men’s player from the home event before main-draw play began. (atptour.com) The French Tennis Federation said Fils had arrived for a 4 p.m. press conference on Saturday before confirming the withdrawal. FFT also described the decision as precautionary after his unsuccessful attempt to test the injury in practice. ### What had Fils done before this setback? Arthur Fils entered Paris after one of the strongest stretches of his career. (atptour.com) ATP Tour reports said he won the Barcelona title in April, reached the semifinals in Madrid and carried a 22-7 record into Roland Garros. Roland Garros runs from May 24 to June 7, and Fils said his immediate goal is to recover in time for the grass-court season. (fft.fr) Jesper de Jong is now set to face Wawrinka in the opening round in Paris. (rolandgarros.com) (atptour.com)