PARIS (AP) — Arthur Fils, the top-ranked French player at No. 19, withdrew from the French Open on Saturday because of a hip injury.
Fils had retired in the first set of his opening match at the Italian Open in his last Roland Garros warmup.
The 21-year-old Fils said his hip “was bothering me a lot” and while exams didn’t reveal any issues he still felt “a lot of pain.”
“So I was not able to practice for the last two weeks. Actually, the practice today was my first-ever points since two weeks (ago) in Rome,” Fils added. “I will not be fit 100% to play the tournament, and I will not take any risk like I did last year. I don’t want to be stupid.”
Fils withdrew from last year’s French Open after the second round due to a stress fracture in his lower back.
Fils had performed well enough lately to give home fans hope that he might become the first French man to win Roland Garros since Yannick Noah in 1983.
After missing the second half of last year due to his back injury, Fils had established a 22-7 record this year with deep runs in Doha; Indian Wells, California; Miami; and Madrid. He also won a clay-court title in Barcelona.
Fils was slated to open against 41-year-old Stan Wawrinka, the 2015 champion making his final appearance at the French Open. Now Wawrinka will face a qualifier instead.
Play in Paris starts on Sunday.
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
