3 hours Ago By Amos Murphy
Stefanos Tsitsipas has spoken out after he was forced to retire from the Barcelona Open just minutes into his quarter-final clash against Arthur Fils. Tsitsipas is considered one of the best clay-court players on the ATP Tour and was being tipped to win his first title since last year’s Monte-Carlo Masters. Instead, Fils received a walkover following Tsitsipas’ forced exit , with the Greek ace having taken to social media to clear things up.
Explaining the decision on Instagram , he wrote: “Barcelona, you’re one of my favourite stops on the tour. Playing here is always a thrill..
. the clay, the energy, and the passion of the people make it special. This time, though, my body said enough.
" Before signing off with: “I had to retire due to back discomfort. “Thank you for the love and support, you’re incredible. I’ll come back stronger and ready to enjoy this amazing city again.
” Tsitsipas fell 2-0 behind in the first set against Fils, but eyebrows were raised six minutes into the contest when the world No.16 called a medical timeout. It had looked as if he would attempt to power through, but his injury eventually got the better of him, with Tsitsipas eventually pulling out of the match in the third game of the first set.
It made for a confusing end to the short-lived encounter, with Fils amongst those unsure as to what had happened to his opponent. When asked about Tsitsipas’ status during his post-match debrief, he replied: “I think it’s the back. I’m not very sure, to be honest.
“I was ready to battle for a few hours because he’s a champion. Every time we play we have tough matches. My wish is he’s going to be ready for the next weeks and for French Open.
I wish him the best. I don’t know what he had but I wish him the best.” As a result of his quarter-final walkover, Fils was paired against reigning French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals, but it would prove the end of the road for the 20-year-old.
That’s because Alcaraz triumphed 6-2, 6-4 to set up a final against Holger Rune, who progressed past semi-final opponent Karen Khachanov in straight sets. It comes ahead of a packed clay-court schedule, with the Madrid Open starting from the Spanish capital next week before players head over to Italy for the Rome Open. It’s all in preparation for the flagship event on the clay-court calendar at Roland Garros next month.
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