French tennis player Arthur Fils, ranked 19th in the world and aged 21, withdrew from the 2023 Roland Garros tournament due to ongoing hip pain. He made the announcement on May 23, 2023, shortly before the tournament's start on May 28, where he was slated to face Stan Wawrinka in the opening round [1, 2].
Fils had shown strong form earlier in the season, with deep runs at Doha, Indian Wells, Miami, and winning the Barcelona title by defeating Andrey Rublev in the final. He was seen as a serious contender for the French Open after also reaching the Madrid semi-finals [1, 2].
The hip pain first forced Fils to retire from his second-round match at the Rome tournament in May 2023, where he was trailing Andrea Pellegrino. "In Rome I felt a little bit like around the hip, you know, pain. It was bothering me a lot. I didn't want to take any risk," Fils said [1].
Medical examinations revealed no major damage, but the discomfort persisted, preventing Fils from practicing for two weeks prior to Roland Garros. "I wasn't able to practice for the last two weeks. Actually, the practice today was my first points since two weeks in Rome," he added. Fils noted he would not be fully fit and did not want to risk aggravating the injury as he did the previous year [1, 2].
Fils has struggled with injuries in recent years. In 2022, he withdrew from Roland Garros after the second round due to a stress fracture in his lower back, forcing him to miss most of the season and undergo lengthy rehabilitation [1, 2].
The last Frenchman to win a Grand Slam in the professional era is Yannick Noah, who won Roland Garros in 1983 [1, 2].
Fils’ decision marks a pause in his promising career as he recovers from the hip injury. The Roland Garros tournament began on May 28 without him [1, 2].