Two weeks ago at Flushing Meadows, Corentin Moutet appeared to be struggling physically during his first-round match against Dane Sweeny. He managed to get through two sets, but things took a turn in the third when a wrist injury forced the Frenchman to retire.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
Now, that injury appears to have followed him into the next part of the season. And Moutet has made a decision regarding his upcoming Asian swing, with his wrist issue affecting his plans for the tournaments ahead.
The Frenchman took to his Instagram story and penned, “Unfortunately, I won’t be playing the Asian swing this year… Disappointed to miss these tournaments, but already looking forward to being back in Asia in 2027.”
Notably, as the World No. 59 steps away from tennis for several weeks to give his wrist time to recover, he will miss the ATP 250 event in Hangzhou and the Masters event in Beijing. The timing could also have a direct impact on his ranking.
Moutet reached the semifinals at the Hangzhou Open last year and made the Round of 16 in Beijing. With his absence this year, he is set to lose the ranking points he earned from those runs, adding another setback to an already difficult stretch.
Nonetheless, Moutet’s wrist problems have been following him since Vienna last year, refusing to fully go away despite his efforts to manage the issue. He continued playing through the pain, but the problem eventually caught up with him at this year’s US Open, where he was forced to retire and now faces another setback with his Asian swing.
The Frenchman had already taken a cautious approach during the North American swing. Moutet withdrew from Cincinnati and instead focused on his physical work, hoping to get himself ready in time for the US Open.
Moutet later explained that he had tried everything he could, but the pain in his wrist simply refused to go away. He explained, “It’s my wrist; it’s been bothering me, and it just won’t go away despite all the effort I’ve put in.” He further added, “I don’t really know what to say about it; it’s been hurting for long time. Since Vienna last year.”
“The problem is that I tried to play, to push it every time. And that triggered pain elsewhere. In Cincinnati, I decided to take a break to try and put the racket down and prepare for here,” he continued. However, despite the break, the wrist issue ultimately proved too stubborn to ignore at the US Open.
Against Dane Sweeny in Flushing Meadows, Moutet led 5-2 before losing the opening set in a tiebreak. He then dropped the second set 6-4 before retiring while trailing 3-0 in the third.
However, the mid-match retirement also caused some confusion, as Moutet approached the chair without first consulting the physiotherapist. The 27-year-old insisted that he did not need a trainer, but the supervisor and physiotherapist were later called over for an evaluation, as required under ATP rules.
After assessing the situation, officials eventually accepted Moutet’s decision to stop. However, before that, the Frenchman had already incurred a punishment for his on-court conduct.
Corentin Moutet gets frustrated before retiring mid-match at the US Open
Not only did Corentin Moutet leave the US Open with a pain in his wrist, but he also received a penalty for his on-court behavior. He was fined $15,000 at the US Open after 2 separate violations.
The drama began when Moutet smashed his racket after frustration started getting the better of him during his first-round match against Sweeny.
Moutet had already slipped from a 5-2 lead before Sweeny took the opening set, which led him to break his racket, bringing another fine. His dress and equipment violation also added $10,000 to the growing punishment. By the end, Moutet had collected $15,000 in fines from his first-round appearance.
In fact, a few months earlier, the Frenchman received a much bigger $40,000 fine at Queen’s Club for repeating an expletive seven times in his post-match interview after beating Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. Even after being asked to stop, he repeated the word before the interview was eventually cut short.
That Queen’s fine nearly wiped out the money Moutet earned during the tournament. He received about $43,000 after reaching the second round, leaving very little behind. Moutet also confirmed that he would appeal the $40,000 punishment handed down by the ATP.
Now, his latest US Open fines have brought another difficult chapter into focus.