"The real question is: should I have played Roland Garros?" - Arthur Fils updates his recovery on back injury as he questions decision to compete at French Open

Arthur Fils has refused to name a date for his return to the court after he sat out the majority of the second half of the season due to a stress fracture in his lower back.

In an interview with 20 Minutes, he gave an update on his recovery. "Honestly, it's going really well. Obviously, you have to be patient, it takes time, but everything is fine," he began.

The Frenchman's back injury was a persistent issue. He took it into his home Grand Slam as he looked to put on a show for the home crowds. He went into it in good form after achieving three consecutive Masters 1000 quarter-finals and semi-final in the Barcelona Open, launching him up to a career-high of world number 14. However, Roland Garros would be one event too much. After picking up wins against Nicolas Jarry and Jaume Munar, he withdrew from his third-round tie against Andrey Rublev.

Despite this, he admitted that he would have still completed the match against Munar. "I would have finished the match. Afterwards, the real question is: should I have played Roland Garros? It's a bit different, because I knew I was already injured before arriving at Roland-Garros. I made the decision with the whole team, but I pushed quite hard to be able to play. Because I was in good form, I was ranked 13th or 14th in the world, I was playing quite well. So I really wanted to play."

The 21-year-old acknowledged that if he had more 'experience,' he would have not competed. "Even injured, I beat Jarry and Munar in a tough match. I proved things to myself. But with a bit more experience, I would make the decision not to play in the tournament," he stated.

"Without going into too much detail, when I was 15, I already had some minor back problems, a slipped disc at the L5 vertebra," Fils said reminiscing on his ongoing lower back issues. "If I'm not mistaken, it [the fracture] must have healed, but I know that it's a part of my body that can be a little fragile from time to time. When I arrived at Roland Garros, I knew I already had my stress fracture. We figured it couldn't get any worse. I tried my best to get back as quickly as possible, maybe even skipping some steps. I felt good because it was an injury I was familiar with."

After the French Open disappointment, Fils attempted a comeback at the Canadian Open. After losing to Jiri Lehecka and exiting the doubles event, he has not stepped out onto the court. "I went to play in Toronto. Unfortunately, I might have come back a little too soon," Fils confessed. "So after that, we took our time. We decided it was better not to play the end of the season and to completely rebuild my body, especially my back."

Despite all of these setbacks, he is not too worried for future hindrances. "No worries, no. When you have a good support system… I've upgraded my medical staff. We've laid the groundwork. We have a plan. There's no need to worry anymore. As they say in English, 'trust the process'"

Fils has always been known as an aggressive player. However, this comes as a pain to his back, forcing him to possibly adapt for the future.

"We're going to change a few things. You can imagine I'm not going to tell you what," he laughed. "We're going to change a few things. The doctors have drawn up a plan with the physiotherapist, the physical trainer, and the tennis coach to try and reduce the impact on my back. There are a few small changes I can make. These are changes that will inevitably take time, because I've been playing the same way for 15 years."

Fils has refused to state a date for his highly anticipated return. "The most important thing now is the upcoming training period. It's going to be about continuing to work hard, training well both therapeutically and physically. Continuing with treatment. But I don't have a date yet. Frankly, that's not the most important thing."

He had been on the shortlist to compete in the World Tennis League, but was forced to pull out. The Frenchman will be looking towards the 2026 Australian Open as a chance to showcase his potential to the world again.