Arthur Fils explains abrupt Italian Open retirement

TL;DR

Arthur Fils retired after just 22 minutes into his match at the 2026 Italian Open due to hip pain, leaving fans confused and concerned.

Key points

Arthur Fils retired from his match at the Italian Open
He played for only 22 minutes before retiring
Fils experienced hip pain during the match

Arthur FilsItalian Open

With the exception of ATP World No. 1 Jannik Sinner‘s win, it was a wild day of unexpected happenings at the 2026 Italian Open, and part of the unpredictability centered around Arthur Fils.

Fils played just 22 minutes, losing four games of his match before retiring. Fans were confused and concerned.

After the match, Fils explained what was going on.

MORE: Sorana Cirstea stuns Aryna Sabalenka at Italian Open

Fils experienced hip pain

He is understandably being cautious and conservative as we get closer to his home slam, Roland Garros.

Fils had to retire from the French Open last year. That’s when his back problem began to manifest. It cost him the rest of the season.

Fils has been tremendous in his 2026 return and has been considered a French Open contender. Hopefully his physical issue is minor.

MORE: What we learned from Novak Djokovic’s loss in Rome

Other Italian Open Saturday oddities

Sabalenka’s loss to Sorana Cirstea and defending champion Jasmine Paolini’s early exit from her home tennis tournament were among the bizarre activities of the day.

Daniil Medvedev got a walkover. Ben Shelton, who was having a great European clay swing with the BMW Open win, was upset. Joao Fonseca and Felix Auger-Aliassime also lost.