Paris (France) (AFP) – The suspense will end: at the end of the Masters 1000 in Paris (November 2-8), the eight qualified for the prestigious end-of-season Masters in Turin will be known. But before this final sprint, some contenders are undermined by physical problems.
Published on: 02/11/2026 - 09:38
A few hours apart, Italian Roland-Garros finalist Flavio Cobolli (6th in the world) and Frenchman Arthur Fils (8th) experienced physical setbacks in their quest for a first qualification for the masters tournament (November 15-22).
Victim Thursday of a "small muscle strain" in the second round of the ATP 500 in Vienna, Cobolli was forced to abandon, in tears, as if his chance to see Turin had passed.
The 24-year-old Florentine has since returned to the French capital. If he was not included in the training schedule on Sunday, he assured that he would do “everything possible” to line up.
First pursuer of the four players already qualified for the Masters (Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Ben Shelton and Daniil Medvedev), Cobolli is best placed to secure fifth of eight places in Turin.
The injury to the right knee of world No.1 Jannik Sinner, qualified for the Masters but out until the end of the season, offers an additional margin of safety to his Italian compatriot.
Sinner's long absence means that the player ranked 9th in the "Race", the season ranking which determines the eight participants in the Masters, will be qualified for the Masters tournament.
- Son injured in Basel -
Sixth in the Race, Cobolli is chased in order by the Frenchman Arthur Fils, the American Frances Tiafoe and the Australian Alex de Minaur, ninth and at this last stage qualified for Turin.
However, Fils was also forced to retire on Friday in the quarter-finals of the ATP 500 in Basel.
Victim in 2025 of a stress fracture in his back which took him away from the circuit for many months, the 22-year-old Frenchman seemed uncomfortable in his lower back, on the left side.
But he cited an injury to his “left leg” as the official reason for his withdrawal from the tournament organizers.
“I feel good. The body is fine,” the Frenchman insisted on Sunday at a pre-tournament press conference in Paris.
His participation in the last Masters 1000 of the season is “100% confirmed”, he certified, before going to train for an hour on the Central without apparent discomfort.
Tenth in the Race, the Spaniard Rafael Jodar is only a small point behind de Minaur, who missed the opportunity to increase his lead by losing the ATP 500 final in Vienna on Sunday against Carlos Alcaraz.
- "Fairly open" -
The eleventh Novak Djokovic, seven-time winner in the French capital, and the twelfth Taylor Fritz, must at least reach the last four to hope to see Turin.
The American Tommy Paul (13th) will have to achieve the feat of qualifying in Paris for his first Masters 1000 final and hope that his rivals are quickly eliminated.
At the time of the final explanation for the Masters in Turin, "there is a lot of nervousness", underlines the director of the Masters 1000 in Paris Cédric Pioline.
“There are those who have their destiny in their hands, and then those who need to have cross-results according to the results of others. That’s what’s exciting,” the ex-5th in the world delights in advance.
If the German Alexander Zverev will demonstrate his new status as world No.1 on Monday in Paris, Cédric Pioline is not risking naming a favorite for the win.
“It’s really quite open,” said the tournament director. “At the end of the season, we always know that there are tired players, who surely have a little pain on the right and left.”
Enough to pave the way for surprises for this 40th edition of a tournament which crowned players like the American Jack Sock in 2017 or the Russian Karen Khachanov a year later.
© 2026 AFP
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