Stefanos Tsitsipas has made a shock exit from the quarter-finals of the 2025 Barcelona Open, retiring just 16 minutes into his match against French player Arthur Fils due to a lower back injury.
The match, held on Thursday evening at the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona, came to an abrupt end with Tsitsipas trailing 2-0 in the opening set. The Greek appeared visibly uncomfortable on court and called for medical attention before ultimately deciding to withdraw from the match.
Fils, currently ranked world No. 14, said he was expecting a much tougher encounter.
“I was ready to battle for a few hours because he’s a champion,” the Frenchman said in his on-court interview. “We played six minutes and now it’s over. I think it’s his back – I just hope he gets better soon.”
The early retirement is a disappointing turn for Tsitsipas, who was seeking to build on strong form after reaching the final in Monte Carlo. The 25-year-old has now been a four-time finalist in Barcelona but is yet to win the tournament.
Tsitsipas, currently ranked world No. 16, will now turn his focus to recovery ahead of the French Open, which begins next month in Paris.
