Corentin Moutet announced that he had pulled out of Wimbledon before hitting back at claims that he delayed his withdrawal so he would be replaced by a fellow Frenchman. Moutet was due to face Alex de Minaur in the first round, with a lucky loser set to take his place following his exit.

Moutet confirmed that he would not be playing at SW19 due to bone edema, which is characterised by an accumulation of fluid inside bone marrow. He posted a statement on X, formerly Twitter, not long after the draw was made on Friday morning to announce his withdrawal.

“Since my preparation for Roland Garros, I have suffered from bone edema,” said Moutet. “Despite all efforts to heal and be ready for Wimbledon, the pain persists. After careful consideration with my team and my doctor, we have made the difficult decision to withdraw from the tournament.

“This decision was not taken lightly, but it is necessary so as not to compromise my participation in the next Olympic Games in Paris. Thank you all for your support and understanding during this time. I can’t wait to come back stronger soon.”

Moutet’s decision to pull out of Wimbledon means he will be replaced by James Duckworth following a draw between the four highest-ranked players who lost in the third round of qualifying.

It was initially claimed by a reporter that Mpetshi Perricard, a fellow French player, would be drafted in to replace Moutet rather than a draw taking place. This was angrily disputed by Moutet, who fired back: “Duckworth took my spot. Do your job before talking.”

Lucas Pouille was also quick to dispute those claims, posting on X in response: “FAKE FAKE FAKE.”

Moutet has been suffering with injuries all year and recently slammed the ATP for making him play at the Madrid Open just hours after a late-night hospital trip. He raised concerns about his ‘weakened body’ after losing to Shang Juncheng in a gruelling match which lasted three hours and 59 minutes.

“I didn’t think I would be able to play today having left the hospital the day before at 10pm,” wrote Moutet on social media. “My request to have a day off was refused, which would have allowed me to heal myself so I could perhaps run forward.

“Despite everything I gave everything but it wasn’t enough. Thanks for the support. I have to take care of myself and hope I haven’t made my injury worse today. Even when the body is weakened the heart is still there.”