Arthur Fils satisfied with his progression: “I’ve had a good year”

The young Frenchman won his first ATP title in 2023 and achieved the highest ranking of his career to date

Antoine Couvercelle / Panoramic)

December 3, 2023

2023, the year of blossoming for Arthur Fils! His first ATP title in Lyon, the highest ranking of his career (currently 36th in the world) and already France’s No 3 player, at just 19 years of age. The native of Bondoufle has come of age and will be going into 2024 with a great card to play.

An impressive runner-up at the Next Gen Finals in Jeddah this week, the French player was asked to sum up his season in a press conference. Fils, who recently changed his team to work with Sébastien Grosjean and Sergi Bruguera, was understandably pleased with his year.

“I’ve had a good year. I started 250th and today I’m 36th. That’s not bad. I could have won here, I could have had a better season, I lost several close matches.”

“I’ve gained experience and I’ll try to do better next season. I thought I’d learned how to handle a final, but I’ve lost three this year… Otherwise, I know myself better. I’ve made a lot of progress with my game and mentally, too.”

I don’t want to become world number 1 in three months’ time
Arthur Fils

The hardest part now for Fils is to confirm his good results in 2024. But the Frenchman, who will be working with Rafael Nadal in December, is keeping a calm head on his shoulders and not putting any extra pressure on himself. The important thing is to continue to progress at his own pace to achieve his main objective: to become a champion, not just try to emulate the efforts of Carlos Alcaraz, who has won two Grand Slams before turning 21.

“What Alcaraz has achieved is incredible,” he said. “I don’t know if I’m capable of doing the same. I’m going to give it my all, but that’s not my short-term goal. I don’t want to become world number 1 in three months’ time because that’s impossible.

“I have to work, again and again and see what happens. That means working every day and giving my all in every match. And maybe one day I’ll be a champion. I hope so! I’m progressing fast, but not as fast as Carlos. What he’s done is crazy.”