Arthur Fils has officially arrived on the ATP Tour.
The Frenchman, who returned from a long-term injury in February, defeated Andrey Rublev in Sunday’s Barcelona Open final.
Fils, who defeated the Russian 6-2, 7-6, is quickly emerging as one of the finest young talents on the ATP Tour and a potential future challenger to the dominance of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
Is Arthur Fils the next best player after Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner?
It seems Fils is ready to take on the French mantle carried by Gael Monfils, who is set to retire from his playing career at the end of this year.
Fils – despite being only 21 years old – has already matched one of Monfils personal feats.
Arthur Fils ties Gael Monfils’ French record
After triumphing in Barcelona, Arthur Fils has now won four ATP titles; three of which have been at the ATP 500 level.
The Frenchman won his first ATP title at the 2023 Lyon Open. Since then, he has captured ATP 500 titles in Tokyo, Hamburg and Barcelona.
Remarkably, Fils has now tied Gael Monfils as the Frenchman with the most ATP 500 titles in history.
Fils has also overtaken two-time Masters 1000 champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who won two ATP 500 titles during his career.
- Gael Monfils and Arthur Fils – three ATP 500 titles
- Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Ugo Humbert – two ATP 500 titles
After losing his first five ATP 500 finals, Gael Monfils finally secured his first title in the category at the 2016 Washington Open.
Three years later, Monfils defeated Stan Wawrinka in the Rotterdam Open final, securing his second ATP 500 title.
Monfils defended his Rotterdam title a year later, beating Felix Auger-Aliassime in the final.
| Tournament | Opponent in final | Result | Score |
| 2008 Vienna Open | Philipp Petzschner | Loss | 4-6, 4-6 |
| 2009 Mexico Open | Nicolás Almagro | Loss | 4-6, 4-6 |
| 2010 Japan Open | Rafael Nadal | Loss | 1-6, 5-7 |
| 2011 Washington Open | Radek Štěpánek | Loss | 4-6, 4-6 |
| 2016 Rotterdam Open | Martin Klizan | Loss | 7–6, 3–6, 1–6 |
| 2016 Washington Open | Ivo Karlovic | Win | 5–7, 7–6, 6–4 |
| 2019 Rotterdam Open | Stan Wawrinka | Win | 6–3, 1–6, 6–2 |
| 2020 Rotterdam Open | Felix Auger-Aliassime | Win | 6-2, 6-4 |
Arthur Fils reacts to winning the Barcelona Open
“It was terrible,” Fils said about the end of his clash with Rublev.
“The end of the second set was just about the mental [pressure]. The whole match was a bit tough because I was a bit tight.
“I played well for a set and a half, but when I had to close, I started to think a little. But I’m very happy with the way I played the tie-break.”
He later added: “I want to say big thanks to my team. We did one hell of a job. It’s been eight months struggling with injury, but now we are back on the court and we have won the trophy. I am pretty happy about that.”
Fils will hope to continue his excellent form in Madrid. The 21-year-old, seeded 21st, has received a bye through to the second round.
There, he will play Ignacio Buse or Adrian Mannarino.
If Fils were to advance, he would likely play Shanghai Masters champion Valentin Vacherot in the third round.
