Arthur Fils has withdrawn from the Dubai Tennis Championships just three days after he suffered a brutal defeat in the Qatar Open final. The Frenchman returned from a lengthy injury layoff earlier this month and teamed up with new coach Goran Ivanisevic, enjoying immediate success in Doha, where he made it to the championship match.

But Fils' Doha run ended on a sour note when he suffered a 6-2 6-1 thrashing at the hands of Carlos Alcaraz in the final, losing in just 50 minutes. The 21-year-old jetted to Dubai, where he was due to face Jiri Lehecka on Tuesday - a rematch of the Doha quarter-finals - but pulled out hours before the match.

A stress fracture had derailed Fils' 2025 season, and he was sidelined from May until February this year, barring a one-off appearance at the Canadian Open last August. Before finishing runner-up in Doha, Fils had made it to the Montpellier quarter-finals and lost in the first round of the Rotterdam Open.

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But all of the tennis seems to have caught up to him, and the world No. 34 has now pulled out of Dubai, citing a hip injury. Fils was scheduled to face Lehecka in the third match on the New Court 1 on Tuesday. He has now been replaced by lucky loser Luca Nardi.

After suffering a brutal thrashing in Doha, Fils had conceded that Alcaraz was a much stronger player, but he still took the positives from his four wins on his way to the final. "After a final against Alcaraz, when you come away from a match like that, you say you have to improve everything," the 21-year-old told RMC Radio.

"I play good tennis, but at the level he plays, he is much stronger than us, in fact, especially compared to the players who are outside the top 10. He has an answer for everything I do. I got stuck, without any solutions, but it's a good experience for a comeback, even if it was a bit rushed. It was great to play in a final, and I'll keep it as a good experience.

"It feels good. Eight months is a long time. Since Roland Garros, we've had problems with the injury; it was a long time. I had to start over, stop; it was very long. It feels good to be back at this level. I've played better tennis in my life, but to return to the ATP 500 and reach a final so quickly is a pleasure. Frankly, I didn't expect at all to reach a final and return to this level."

Fils had travelled to Dubai in anticipation of competing this week and was spotted watching British No. 1 Jack Draper's comeback match against French qualifier Quentin Halys. The former world No. 13 is next expected to compete in Indian Wells, where he reached the quarter-finals 12 months ago.

He's also hoping to keep working with Ivanisevic after a successful trial period in Doha. "Goran Ivanisevic joined me; this is his first tournament. Ivan Cinkus will return in Indian Wells. I got along well with Goran; he helped me a lot with his experience, even though it's only been four or five days," Fils said of their partnership.

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