No warm-up for Wimbledon: Arthur Fils pulls out of Halle and raises fitness doubts

Arthur Fils’ injury struggles continue, as the Frenchman withdraws from yet another tournament, this time the Halle Open, where he was scheduled to play his first grass-court event in two years. The world No. 21 now turns his attention toward Wimbledon, although doubts remain over whether he will be fully ready for the challenge.

Fils’ season has been mixed, with strong results whenever he has been physically fit enough to compete. However, his physical condition has remained an ongoing concern. The 22-year-old suffered an injury one month ago in the first round of the Rome Open, forcing him to retire, and he later withdrew from Roland Garros, where he had been considered one of the contenders.

Fils had arrived into the year on the back of a strong run, including nine consecutive wins on clay courts before losing in the Madrid Open semifinals to Jannik Sinner. He entered Rome as one of the players to watch but managed to play only four games against world No. 155 Andrea Pellegrino before retiring due to lower back issues.

Following his withdrawal from the French Open, he was expected to return during the grass-court swing. However, he first pulled out of the Libema Open due to a hip injury, and he has now also confirmed his absence from Halle, losing another key preparation week on grass.

The Halle Open is one of the key Wimbledon warm-up events and begins on June 15. The draw includes up to eight top-15 players, including recent French Open champion Alexander Zverev, as well as Félix Auger-Aliassime, Ben Shelton, Daniil Medvedev, and Taylor Fritz.

However, Fils has now withdrawn from the tournament due to physical issues, raising doubts over whether he will be ready for Wimbledon. The Frenchman has limited experience on grass, having played only five tournaments on the surface between 2023 and 2024. His most recent appearances came at Wimbledon, where he reached the fourth round before losing to Alex de Minaur.

Despite this, his improved level in 2026 — highlighted by a 22–7 record, a title in Barcelona, and deep runs in major tournaments — combined with his adaptability across surfaces, suggests he could still be a competitive factor on grass despite limited preparation.

Fils has also struggled with injuries over the past year. In 2025, he missed several months after Roland Garros, skipping the entire grass swing and only returning at the Canadian Open in late July. That was his final tournament of the year, and he then waited seven months before returning to action in Montpellier in February this season.

He quickly regained form, reaching the final in Doha, the quarter-finals in Indian Wells, semifinals in Miami and Madrid, and winning the Barcelona Open. Along the way, he defeated five top-20 players, including wins over Lorenzo Musetti and Félix Auger-Aliassime. Of his seven defeats this season, five have come against top-10 opponents, with one retirement against Pellegrino in Rome.

Without having played either Grand Slam this year (Australian Open and Roland Garros), Fils has still managed to position himself as world No. 6 in the ATP Race — a notable achievement considering his injury interruptions and absence from the two biggest point-scoring events of the season.

Questions now remain over whether Fils will be ready for Wimbledon, where he is currently entered as the 19th seed. With confirmed withdrawals already including Carlos Alcaraz and Valentin Vacherot, Fils could join that list if he is not fit in time. If he does travel to the All England Club, he would arrive without a single competitive grass-court match in nearly two years.