Arthur Fils: The long road back through the salad bowl after a straight-sets reality check in Montpellier
We talked to Arthur Fils after his loss against Felix Auger-Aliassime in Montpelier. The French rising star reflected on the physical sacrifices and the steep learning curve required to rejoin the world’s elite.
Arthur Fils, Montpellier 2026 | © JB Autissier / Open Occitanie
The air was thick with the mixed emotions of a comeback in progress on Friday, inside the press room at the Sud de France Arena in Montpellier. Arthur Fils had just been dismantled 6-4, 6-2 by world No. 8 and defending champion Felix Auger-Aliassime in what was supposed to be the blockbuster quarterfinal of the Open Sud de France.
For the 21-year-old Frenchman, currently ranked No. 42 after a grueling eight-month injury layoff, the scoreline was a harsh reminder of the gap between being “practice ready” and “Top 10 ready.”
“The score… for sure, it was a tough match against one of the best players in the world,” Fils admitted. “It’s been a long time since I’ve played at that level. I was on the bike to cool down a few minutes ago; my team and I were trying to remember, I think the last time I played a Top 10 guy must have been in Rome, last May.” Alexander Zverev was the man.
“You can definitely feel the difference,” Fils noted, in reference to his Top 10 opponent. “Without being disrespectful to other players, this was clearly a level above. He was just better than me today, nothing more to say. Now it’s back to training; I have to put in the work.”
FILS : “When you lose a match like this…”
Fils’ absence from the tour since the Canadian Open, which included skipping the entire Australian swing, was a calculated move. Through his YouTube documentary series Renaissance, fans watched the physical and mental toll of his recovery. Central to this return was a radical transformation: a six-kilogram weight loss designed specifically to protect his lower back.
“I really did it primarily for my back,” Fils answered when asked if he expected specific outcomes in terms of speed or his game profile. “I don’t actually know if I’m moving faster yet. I thought I moved great before, but it’s a long process. You have to improve everywhere. That’s why we do it.”
The discipline extends beyond the gym. In a lighter moment that drew smiles from the gathered journalists, Fils spoke about the dietary sacrifices required to stay at an elite weight. “When you lose a match like this, the only thing you want isn’t exactly to eat a salad… But you have to. Now I’m going back to my hotel room to stay focused. I don’t know exactly what it’ll be, salad or something else, but it won’t be McDonald’s.”
He laughed, reflecting on his former habits. “Before, I used to eat crazy things. I loved cookies—I ate a lot of them, really a lot. It’s been so long, it’s terrible! Well, I’m not at the ‘veggies and seeds only’ stage yet; that would be miserable. I eat everything, just: no more junk food.”
Rotterdam, Doha, Dubai… : Now let’s play
Despite the decisive nature of the loss to Felix, Fils is leaving Montpellier with his head held high. A quarterfinal run in his first tournament since August 2025 is no small feat.
“On the physical side, after three matches in four days, I was ready. That wasn’t the issue. Honestly, it’s great. My team and I are very happy. I managed to play three matches—I hadn’t done that since Rome—so we’re very pleased. It’s really positive.”
The path forward is now clear: volume. Fils is hungry for the match play that training cannot replicate. “You can always train well and do everything right in practice, but you have to be back on the court in competition. That’s where the level increases week after week, month after month. It builds tournament after tournament.”
With his back holding up and his weight down, the Frenchman is ready to “devour” the upcoming calendar, with stops planned in Rotterdam, Doha, and Dubai before Indian Wells and Miami. “I know I’ll have to skip some of them based on my results. We’re in a building process.”
