Frances Tiafoe was forced to retire during his third-round match at the Canadian Open on Thursday night, with Arthur Rinderknech leading 6-2 2-0. The No. 15 seed later apologised to fans, revealing he has been dealing with a right hand injury.
Injury forces early end
Tiafoe, ranked world No. 20, had won his opener in Montreal against Marin Cilic after losing his first match in Washington last week. He had also pulled out of the doubles event in Washington, where he was due to partner Nick Kyrgios.
During the match, Tiafoe struggled to generate power, with commentator Colin Fleming noting his groundstroke and serve speeds were down compared to his 2026 season averages.
Final game struggle
In the last game, Tiafoe tried to shorten points and ran down the shot clock, but could not convert three game points. After being broken in a 10-minute game, he decided he could not continue, telling the official, "I can't play," before shaking hands with Rinderknech.
Commentator Lee Goodall described it as "a sad end to this third-round contest," adding that it was clear Tiafoe was battling some sort of issue.
Apology and impact
Sharing an Instagram story after his retirement, Tiafoe wrote: "Sorry to the fans out here in Montreal who came out to watch me tonight. I've been dealing with a right hand injury for a lil bit now. I tried to play but need the rest. Until next time thanks for the love."
His retirement adds to a string of withdrawals at the tournament. Denis Shapovalov and Gabriel Diallo also retired mid-match earlier this week, while Jaume Munar pulled out before his second-round match and Felix Auger-Aliassime withdrew hours before his opener on Wednesday.
