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Former world No. 1 shares what he’s heard about Arthur Fils’ injury issues and admits concern

Originally posted on HITC | By Callum Davies | Last updated Sep 25, 2025 7:38 AM ET

Arthur Fils has barely been seen on the ATP Tour since picking up a lower back stress fracture at Roland-Garros.

He appeared to be over the worst of it when he made his comeback at the Canadian Open, but the issues flared up again not long after.

The Frenchman felt something wasn’t right and decided to pull out of the US Open. More recently, he also withdrew from the Shanghai Masters, pushing back his return even further.

Mark Knowles reveals Arthur Fils was advised to play through injury

Mark Knowles, the former doubles world number one, has spoken about the latest details he’s learned concerning Arthur Fils’ injury struggles.

Knowles, who has three Grand Slam doubles titles to his name, addressed the situation on ‘The Inside-In Tennis Podcast,’ describing it as “unfortunate.”

He explained: “The biggest problem is that he is a young player. We say this so often. You have to be careful of the people you are surrounded by.

Photo by Julian Avram/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

“The intel that I have gotten on it was that he should’ve shut the injury down a lot sooner. Was advised by certain people to keep playing, and unfortunately, it turned into a major issue.

That is always difficult. We can predict many things, see the way they hit the ball and their mentality, but the best ability is availability and once the health goes sideways it can affect a lot of things, especially if you are out for a long time.

“It’s unfortunate because he was really at a stage where if he stayed healthy he is probably in Turin and top 10. Who knows how he could have done at US Open.

But it gets worrisome when you have a major injury, especially about the back with a guy who is such a physical player and such a specimen.

“But once the body starts to break down then question marks arise.”

Arthur Fils’ response after his US Open withdrawal

After making his return to the court in Canada, fans of Arthur Fils had hoped he was finally past the injury issues that had kept him out for so long.

But following his decision to pull out of the Cincinnati Open, Fils shared that he’d need more time away from the sport.

Posting on Instagram, he said: “After an injury that kept me away from the court, a warning sign felt during my comeback — first in Toronto, then in Cincinnati — led me to make the difficult but reasonable decision to withdraw from the US Open.

“This decision was made to allow for a full recovery.”

Fils continued: “I’m working hard every day with my team to come back strong and be ready for the end of the season.

“Thank you for all your support.”

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

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