Already withdrawn from Cincinnati, Fils also pulls out of Winston-Salem tournament

After two months away, Arthur Fils made his return to competition at the Toronto Masters 1000. Suffering from a stress fracture in his back at Roland-Garros in late May, the 21-year-old Frenchman defeated Pablo Carreño Busta in the second round in his opening match before losing to Jiri Lehecka.

Also entered in doubles alongside Ben Shelton, the eventual singles champion of the tournament, Fils was forced to withdraw before his quarterfinal match with the American player.

However, we won’t see Arthur Fils in action again before the US Open. Just hours after confirming his withdrawal from the Cincinnati Masters 1000 (where he was ranked 20th this week), the player, who had registered for the ATP 250 tournament in Winston-Salem on August 17, ultimately won’t be able to compete.

Likely still dealing with his back injury, the player—who has won three ATP titles since the start of his career—prefers not to take any risks ahead of the season’s final Grand Slam, which begins in late August in New York.

Following this withdrawal, Jesper De Jong takes his place in the main draw. While Fils was forced to pull out, five French players are still expected in North Carolina in about ten days: Alexandre Muller, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, Corentin Moutet, Benjamin Bonzi, and Arthur Rinderknech.