Arthur Fils is currently one of the most in-form players on the ATP circuit. After concluding the hard-court season with a semifinal appearance at the Miami Open, he went on to clinch the title in Barcelona before reaching the last 4 in Madrid as well. Looking at his form, Fils was considered as a contender for both Rome Masters and French Open. However, the Frenchman seems to have hit a major roadblock ahead of his home Grand Slam.
Fils was forced to retire from his first-round clash at the Italian Open against Andrea Pellegrino. He withdrew from the match after just four games and 22 minutes. The 21-year-old had a slow start to the match and lost the first three games before calling a medical timeout outside the court. He returned to the court soon after, but Pellegrino held his serve to take a 4-0 lead. The Italian led 15-30 in the fifth game when Fils decided to put an end to his misery.
After the match, the World No. 17 revealed that he was suffering from hip pain since the second game. He didn’t want the pain to become a big issue, especially with the French Open being right around the corner and thus retired without much hesitation.
“I felt pain in my hip on the second game. I called the physio to try to treat it, but it didn’t work. Unfortunately, I had to stop shortly after. These things happen. Now I’m going to get treatment, talk to my team, and we’ll make decisions. I didn’t need to take risks before Roland Garros, and that’s why I made this decision,” Fils said.
Arthur Fils is forced to retire from his match against Pellegrino in Rome due to injury.
Worrying signs ahead of Roland Garros..
He’s been playing incredible tennis lately
Hopefully he’s able to recover in time for his home slam
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) May 9, 2026
The Frenchman’s retirement meant that Pellegrino advanced to the R32 at the Italian Open. Ranked No. 155, he had earned a wildcard for the tournament and had reached the main draw by defeating Hugo Gaston and Martin Landaluce in the qualifiers. He then defeated compatriot Luca Nardi 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the R128 before getting past Fils. Pellegrino will now be taking on Frances Tiafoe in the R32.
Coming back, many had assumed that Fils’ back issues had returned after he had taken a medical timeout against Pellegrino. Notably, the Frenchman was out of action for six months due to a stress fracture in his lower-back that he had sustained at the French Open last year. He eventually made his return earlier this year in February at the Open Occitanie.
Later during the same month, Fils ended up making it to the final of the Qatar Open. Though he suffered a 2-6, 1-6 loss to Carlos Alcaraz, the tournament was still a success for the youngster. With his recovery clearly being on track, Fils brought in a “supercoach” before the clay-court season and this decision proved to be a game-changer.
Arthur Fils joined forces with Goran Ivanisevic before clay swing
Goran Ivanisevic, who coached Novak Djokovic to 12 of his 24 Grand Slam titles, joined Fils’ team following the conclusion of the hard-court season. He had previously joined the Frenchman for a brief trial in Doha, but Fils soon decided to bring him in for the clay swing.
“Goran will join us for the clay season. He will come to Monaco, then Ivan will return, I think, to Rome. We will spend a few weeks with Goran, then a few weeks with Ivan (Cinkus),” Fils had said.
Ivanisevic joined the team as a specialist while Ivan Cinkus remained as the primary coach. Fils was quite excited to have the former Wimbledon champion on board and was hopeful that he will help him in grinding positive results on the court.
“Hell of a champion, winner of a Slam, and he coached a lot of guys, a lot of champions actually. He’s helping me during the season. We are going to try (it out), but I think it’s good for me. It’s maybe the best for me to have his experience as a coach and as a player. So very, very happy that he joined us during this long journey,” he had told ATP Media.
This move has proven to be a big success for the 21-year-old as he has had a remarkable clay-court season so far. He will be hoping that the hip pain he suffered at the Italian Open isn’t anything serious and doesn’t hamper his chances of featuring at the French Open that will commence from May 24.
Will Fils go on a winning run at the Roland Garros if he participates, or will his clay swing end on a disappointing note? Let us know what you think in the comments!
