Promising French youngster Arthur Fils has withdrawn from the Australian Open due to chronic back problems that have effectively kept him out of competitive tennis since the French Open last year.<\/p>\n
This marks the second major withdrawal from the first Slam of the season, with Fils following Jack Draper<\/a>, who announced last week that he will not travel to Melbourne Park in 2026.<\/p>\n Known for his aggressive shot-making and powerful baseline game, Arthur Fils was arguably playing the best tennis of his young career in the months leading up to Roland Garros. That momentum came to a halt in Paris, where he suffered a severe back injury during a five-set thriller against Jaume Munar<\/a> \u2014 a match the Frenchman remarkably managed to win despite the physical toll.<\/p>\n Fils\u2019 rise began in the second half of 2024, when he captured titles at both the ATP Hamburg Open and the ATP Tokyo Open, defeating top players such as Holger Rune, Taylor Fritz, and Alexander Zverev along the way. He carried that form into early 2025, reaching the quarterfinals at each of the first three Masters 1000 events of the season, as well as the semifinals in Barcelona.<\/p>\nCareer-Best Form Halted by Injury Setback<\/h3>\n