Arthur Fils is a champion on the ATP Tour once again, having had to wait over 18 months since his last title.
But, in beating Andrey Rublev yesterday, the 21-year-old returned to the winner’s circle, and deservedly so after the past few weeks he has had.
Since returning from injury, Arthur Fils has looked untouchable.
His consistency to go deep in so many events has been astounding, which has led many to start comparing Fils to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, tipping him as the next in line.
However, when asked about the gap between the top two-ranked players and the rest of the field, he made a rather stark admission.
Arthur Fils explains why he can’t be compared to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner
Remembering his most recent meeting with Carlos Alcaraz, Fils clearly remains scarred.
After all, when asked if he felt he was closer to them after this Barcelona Open title, he told his press conference: “I don’t know. The last time I played against Carlos, he dominated me.”
Is Arthur Fils the next best player after Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner?
He then added: “I have to be humble, follow my path, and focus on improving my ranking. They are great champions, and right now, I can’t compare myself to them. Maybe someday, but not now.”
Fils did compare Rafael Jodar to one of Alcaraz and Sinner after beating him in the Barcelona semi-finals, interestingly.
Arthur Fils’ run to the Barcelona Open title
Since his first tournament of the year in Marseille, Fils has only failed to reach at least the quarter-finals in one of the six events he has played.
His past few performances read: Qatar Open final, Indian Wells quarter-final, Miami Open semi-final and now Barcelona Open champion.
| Event | Round reached | Defeated by |
| Barcelona Open | Winner | N/A |
| Miami Open | Semi-finals | Jiri Lehecka |
| Indian Wells | Quarter-finals | Alexander Zverev |
| Qatar Open | Final | Carlos Alcaraz |
| Rotterdam Open | Round of 32 | Alex de Minaur |
| Open Occitanie | Quarter-final | Felix Auger-Aliassime |
And, it’s worth noting that his run to the trophy in the latter was far from easy.
He began his campaign with a tough three-set win over compatriot Terence Atmane, before impressing to beat Brandon Nakashima easily.
Fils then faced Lorenzo Musetti, a clay-court specialist, and again toppled him in straight sets.
A dangerously in-form Jodar awaited him in the semi-finals, but even going a set down could not deter Fils. He rallied back, won the match, and then defeated Rublev in the final.
Arthur Fils outlines his goals for the future after his latest trophy
Fils was keen to outline his aspirations going forward after this title in Barcelona, which would hopefully help him bridge that gap between himself, Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
“I believe I can do better,” he began, in reference to the final. “I played very well, but I missed some shots and didn’t serve as I wanted. Still, it was a very high level, probably my best match of the week. But I know I can improve some things, so I’ll discuss it with the team. Overall, it’s very positive.”
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Asked to expand on those areas of improvement, the Frenchman added: “Numbers are numbers. If they say I played very well, maybe I did. But it’s not always easy to interpret them because I feel like I could have played better: make fewer mistakes, serve better… I would also like to see the numbers from Miami, because there I felt I played even better.
“I can improve in every aspect.
“I felt good, moved well, hit well, and served quite well, although I can do it better. Now I’m heading to Madrid, a tournament where I haven’t had much success, but I’ll try my best.
“Then there are tournaments I really like such as Rome, Hamburg, or Roland Garros. I enjoy playing under these conditions.”
