(VIDEO) Jannik Sinner and Arthur Fils hit Wimbledon practice courts as fitness concerns shape pre-Wimbledon build-up

Jannik Sinner and Arthur Fils were seen training on the Wimbledon practice courts as both players begin final preparations for the grass-court Grand Slam.

The footage places the world No. 1 and defending champion in London alongside Frenchman Fils, who arrives under significant physical uncertainty after a disrupted season and multiple withdrawals from key warm-up events.

Sinner enters Wimbledon as defending champion following his title win last year against Carlos Alcaraz. His preparation, however, is being closely managed after a noticeable physical decline during his Roland Garros campaign, which triggered a structured performance review and the introduction of medical monitoring protocols.

Fils, ranked world No. 23, is facing a more immediate concern, having withdrawn from the Halle Open due to ongoing injury issues. The Frenchman had been expected to use the event as his main grass-court preparation but continues to struggle with recurring physical setbacks affecting his 2026 season.

Sinner’s Wimbledon build-up is defined by an ongoing physiological assessment programme introduced after Roland Garros. The Italian was seen training with a small device on his left arm few days ago, identified as a glucose-monitoring sensor used to track real-time metabolic response during physical exertion.

The monitoring process was implemented following medical evaluations conducted at San Raffaele Hospital after his late-match collapse in Paris, where he lost 18 consecutive games against Juan Manuel Cerúndolo. The episode was classified internally as an energy depletion issue, prompting further analysis rather than an immediate clinical diagnosis.

In addition to his structured medical programme, Sinner was also spotted training with Holger Rune in recent days, as part of his preparation phase in London. Rune has since withdrawn from Wimbledon due to injury recovery, but the sessions formed part of Sinner’s grass-court build-up ahead of his title defence.

Sinner is expected to make only a single pre-Wimbledon appearance at the Hurlingham Club exhibition event. Despite the scrutiny over his physical response to match load, he remains the defending Wimbledon champion and one of the main contenders for the title.

By the other hand, Fils arrives at Wimbledon with limited preparation after confirming his withdrawal from the Halle Open, extending a series of missed tournaments on grass. The Frenchman had already pulled out of the Libema Open and earlier missed Roland Garros due to hip-related issues following a lower back injury in Rome.

His 2026 season has shown high performance levels when fit, including a 22–7 record and a title in Barcelona, but his physical consistency has remained an ongoing concern. The injury in Rome, where he retired early against Andrea Pellegrino, marked the start of a disrupted run through the clay and grass transition.

Despite these setbacks, Fils remains inside the ATP Race top positions, reflecting the strong results accumulated earlier in the season. However, his lack of match play on grass remains a key disadvantage heading into Wimbledon, where he previously reached the fourth round before losing to Alex de Minaur.

If he competes, Fils will do so without a single grass-court match in nearly two years, significantly limiting his preparation compared to the rest of the field and raising questions about his ability to handle best-of-five conditions at SW19.