Arthur Fils, one of the few remaining French Open contenders, drops out with injury day before tournament
· Yahoo Sports
The 2025 French Open was already light on true contenders after Carlos Alcaraz pulled out with a wrist injury. Now, one day before the tournament begins, one of the few remaining names to know is out as well.
Arthur Fils, who was previously tied for the fourth-best odds in the field behind only Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic, announced Saturday he was dropping out of Roland-Garros with an unspecified hip injury. He explained that he experienced hip pain while playing in Rome two weeks ago, via the ATP Tour:
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“After, I did some exams. Everything was looking pretty fine, but still a lot of pain. So I was not able to practise for the last two weeks,” Fils said. “Actually, the practice today were my first-ever points since two weeks in Rome.
“Yeah, I will not be fit 100 per cent to play the tournament, and I will not take any risk like I did last year. I don't want to be stupid.”
Fils, seeded 17th, was set to face retiring great Stan Wawrinka in the first round on Monday. The 2015 Roland-Garros champion will now face lucky loser Jesper de Jong. Had Fils advanced, he would have faced Zverev in the quarter final if the rest of the draw went chalk.
The development is disappointing for multiple reasons. Fils had been playing the best tennis of his career since returning from a back injury he originally sustained at last year’s Roland-Garros. He ended up having to miss six months due to the issue, but reportedly insisted Saturday this new injury is a different one.
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Fils’ run since returning included a title in Barcelona and semifinals in Madrid and Miami. Still only 21 years old, he possesses a combination of spin, mobility and power that set him up as one of the few players capable of challenging the current Alcaraz-Jannik Sinner duopoly, so much so that Yahoo Sports’ Dan Wolken picked him to face Sinner in the final.
Fils also carried the hope of the host country on his shoulders. No Frenchmen has won Roland-Garros, or any Grand Slam, since Yannick Noah won the title in 1983. As you can see from the crowd at Fils’ last practice session, there was excitement he could end the drought.
On Friday, Fils was listed at +2000 odds to win the tournament. Per Sports Odds History, the last time a Frenchmen had odds that good in the Roland Garros men’s singles field was Richard Gasquet at +1500 in 2005, meaning Fils was France’s best chance in two decades for the title.
Fils, of course, has company in not playing the tournament.
A generation of elite tennis players is injured right now
Even before Fils dropped out, several other exciting players were confirmed to not be playing Roland-Garros, most notably Alcaraz. The two-time reigning Roland-Garros champion has already said he will be missing Wimbledon as well.
The following names are also out:
Jack Draper’s health woes have continued with a knee injury, after previously returning from an arm injury
Lorenzo Musetti, a semifinalist at least year’s Roland-Garros, is out with a thigh injury
Holger Rune tore his Achilles in October last year and wasn’t able to make it back in time for this tournament
All three of those players have been in the ATP top 5 at some point. Fils is currently fifth in points this year via the Race To Turin rankings. Alcaraz is Alcaraz. Everyone in that group is between 21 and 24 years old.
That’s a brutal amount of young talent to lose. It’s also how Sinner becomes a bigger favorite to win his first Roland-Garros than Rafael Nadal was before any of his 14 titles in Paris.