World No. 16 Casper Ruud and No. 15 Arthur Fils have withdrawn from the 2025 Wimbledon Championships, starting June 30, due to injuries sustained at Roland Garros, a blow to the men’s draw. The Norwegian and French stars, both projected as No. 13-16 seeds, join other absentees like Sebastian Korda and Nick Kyrgios, thinning the field at the All England Club.
Ruud, 26, is nursing a left-knee injury that flared during his second-round loss to Nuno Borges at Roland Garros in May. The three Sub-time Grand Slam finalist, who won his first Masters 1000 title in Madrid 2025, hasn’t played since, also pulling out of Mallorca. “He’s back on the court, but playing best-of-five sets is too soon,” said manager Tina Falster, eyeing a return at the Gstaad clay event on July 14.
Fils, 21, aggravated a back stress fracture during a five-set win over Jaume Munar at Roland Garros, forcing him to withdraw before facing Andrey Rublev in the third round. “I had issues with my back for a while, and it got worse,” Fils said, with scans confirming the fracture. The French No. 1, who reached Wimbledon’s fourth round in 2024, holds a 20-11 record in 2025 with three ATP titles. His absence dims hopes of a deep grass run.
The withdrawals open main-draw spots for Fabio Fognini, Elmer Moller and Lloyd Harris, while Matteo Berrettini and Alexander Bublik gain seeding.
Losing Ruud and Fils is not great for the event, but all tournaments come with some absentees. Ruud, the clay expert, was finding form recently and it would have been interesting to see his transition to grass, and Fils speed made him a dark horse. But health comes first, and their focus on recovery bodes well for the US Open. Wimbledon’s draw now opens even further for underdogs to go deep.
