Fils had a long discussion with the doctor and went off court for a medical timeout after the seventh game of the opening set. The doctor appeared to be touching his lower back on the left side. Fils jogged back onto court after his off-court consultation, but continued to struggle in the match. After just two games in the second set, he elected to pull the plug.
Afterwards, Fils talked to L’Équipe in the mixed zone and gave some details on his plans for the next few days. He is slated to play next week’s Paris Masters, and still sits in seventh place in the ATP’s Race to Turin standings.
“I’m going back to Paris to undergo some medical checks and talk with my team; we’ll decide what to do for the rest of the season based on the results,” he said. “I felt a bit of pain in my leg while moving early in the match, and it didn’t go away. I requested a medical timeout, but things didn’t improve, so I made the decision to stop.”
When asked about his plans to play in Paris, Fils said he’s hopeful.
“I feel confident. I’ll see how things go with my team, but I feel confident.”
It’s the latest in a long string of injuries for Fils. He famously missed the second half of 2025 due to a stress fracture in his lower back. He was also forced to miss his home Slam, Roland-Garros, this year due to a hip problem. He was out from mid-May until the start of Wimbledon.
Through it all, Fils has had a banner season on tour, producing a 40-15 record that includes his maiden Masters 1000 title at Cincinnati, a title in Barcelona and a final in Doha. He went 9-7 against the Top 20 and 5-5 against the Top 10, and made his Top 10 debut in late September.
Fritz, seeded sixth in Basel, will face Valentin Vacherot in the semis on Saturday.
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