Stefanos Tsitsipas retired from the quarter-final clash (Image: Getty)
Stefanos Tsitsipas retired just a matter of minutes into his clash with Arthur Fils at the Barcelona Open. The Greek star found himself 2-0 down during the first set of the quarter-final match before deciding to call time on the game.
Eyebrows were raised just six minutes into the match when Tsitsipas took a medical timeout, though he soon returned to the court and looked set to continue. However, his return was short-lived and the world No. 16 ruled that he could not play out the remainder of the match just a few minutes later.
Despite booking his spot in the final four with ease, Fils appeared somewhat frustrated to reach the semi-finals via a walkover. Speaking after the match, he said: “We played six minutes and will now stop for six minutes…”
He went on to add that he was expecting to be on the court for a few hours due to how tough of an opponent Tsitsipas can be, especially in Barcelona – with the 26-year-old reaching the final of the competition for the last two years. Fils said: “I think it’s the back. I’m not very sure, to be honest.
Stefanos Tsitsipas took a medical timeout before retiring (Image: X @TheTennisLetter)
“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.”
Fils will now face Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals, and the Frenchman will be keen to gain revenge over his upcoming opponent after his defeat to the world No. 3 in the Monte Carlos Masters.
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He said: “I have another great match against Carlitos. We had a great fight in Monte Carlo. Let’s hope we have a nice fight tomorrow as well. Of course. The last match was very positive. Of course, I lost it, but still very positive.
“Tomorrow is going to be different. We are in Spain. He’s playing great here. I think he won twice already. So yeah, it’s going to be a nice one. I watched a little bit of the match against Alex… Let’s see how it goes tomorrow.”
