Arthur Fils is one of the fastest players on the ATP Tour.
But can anyone keep up with the young Frenchman?
After reaching the quarterfinals of Indian Wells, Fils selected seven players he’d like to see compete in a 100m race.
Arthur Fils names Carlos Alcaraz and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard as two of the fastest players on tour
During an interview with the ‘Tennis Channel‘, Fils shared his thoughts on who the fastest players on tour are.
“We were talking a lot about making a race, 100 metres,” he said.
“Foki [Alejandro Davidovich Fokina], Giovanni [Mpetshi Perricard], Giovanni is crazy fast, I put myself, I put Ben [Shelton], and then someone else, Gael [Monfils], and we take Carlos [Alcaraz], Carlos is fast, and we see,” he said.
“Of course, [Alex] De Minaur, yes, he’s fast.”
Fils was shocked when the host told him that Reilly Opelka fancies himself as the fastest player on tour.
“Huh?” he said.
“Ok, then bring Reilly as well!”
“I think 40m I’d take myself, or Carlos, or Demon.
“But 100m, I’d say, Giovanni, I tell you, he’s very fast.”
Who would win a 100m race?
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All the players Fils mentioned can certainly move, but how well have they performed at Indian Wells?
Only he and Carlos Alcaraz remain in the draw.
Arthur Fils’ 100m field and how they performed at Indian Wells
| Player | Indian Wells performance |
| Arthur Fils | QF vs Alexander Zverev |
| Carlos Alcaraz | 4R vs Casper Ruud |
| Alejandro Davidovich Fokina | LOST in 4R vs Learner Tien |
| Ben Shelton | LOST in 3R vs Learner Tien |
| Alex de Minaur | LOST in 3R vs Cameron Norrie |
| Gael Monfils | LOST in 2R vs Felix Auger-Aliassime |
| Reilly Opelka | LOST in 2R vs Ben Shelton |
| Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard | LOST in 1R vs Kamil Majchrzak |
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard was the first to fall, losing in the first round, before Gael Monfils and Reilly Opelka were knocked out in round two.
Alex de Minaur lost to Cameron Norrie, and Ben Shelton lost to Learner Tien in round three.
Tien picked up another speedy scalp when he took down Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the fourth round.
Fils is ‘winning the race’ for now, but could be joined by Alcaraz in the quarterfinals, should the Spaniard advance past Casper Ruud.
Arthur Fils continues impressive comeback from injury
2025 was a year to forget for Fils.
Suffering an injury at the French Open, Fils only played two more events for the rest of the season.
He wasn’t fit in time for the Australian Open, either, returning at the Open Occitanie in France.
Grand Slams Arthur Fils missed due to injury
- 2025 Wimbledon
- 2025 US Open
- 2026 Australian Open
Fils won his first two matches back from injury before losing to Felix Auger-Aliassime in the Open Occitanie quarterfinals.
He lost his opening match in Rotterdam to De Minaur, but that didn’t dampen his spirits.
Bouncing back, Fils reached the final of the Qatar Open, where he met Alcaraz.
Fils failed in his bid to win the title, losing the final in less than an hour.
Still, to have reached a final and two quarterfinals in his first four tournaments back from injury deserves a lot of credit.
The Frenchman is on the up, and is one to look out for in 2026.
Fils will play Zverev for a spot in the Indian Wells semifinals on Thursday, March 12.
