“On clay, we have to go back to the linesmen” – Fils
The Frenchman felt that electronic refereeing was totally wrong at one point when he was eliminated in his opening match in Madrid on Friday
Arthur Fils, Madrid Open, 2025 © Khadim Sylla / Tennis Majors
For the first time in a long time, Arthur Fils will not progress to the latter stages of a Masters 1000 event. Having made the quarter-finals in Indian Wells, Miami and Monte-Carlo – his first three Masters 1000 quarter-finals – then semi-finalist in Barcelona, the Frenchman fell in his opening match in Madrid. After a rollercoaster match.
Starting off on a high note against Francisco Comesaña, the world No 14 led 5-1 before losing 7-6 (4), 6-4. Due, among other things, to the physical and mental wear and tear due to his 16 games in 32 days before arriving in the Spanish capital.
“I’m tired,” he replied in a press conference, as relayed by L’Équipe. “The schedule is complicated, we have to play a lot. I am tired. I’m going to take two or three days to settle down and then we’re going to go and train.”
I received a serve two or three centimeters outside and when you watch the video, it tells you that it catches the line. I find it horrible.
Exhausted, frustrated by the defeat, the 20-year-old left the court without shaking the umpire’s hand. Earlier, at 4-3 in the second set, the two men had a slight spat. Fils, believing to have seen a serve from the Argentine land outside the line, asked Adel Nour to come and take a look at the track.
But the Egyptian refused to come down from his perch because, since the judgment of the lines is automatic, he did not have the power to rectify the announcement made by the machine anyway.
“We are on earth, there are marks,” Fils said aftet the match.
“There, I received a serve two or three centimetres out and when you watch the video, it tells you that it catches the line. I find it horrible.
“For me, on clay, you have to go back to the linesmen and trust the judgement of the referees,” he added. “Now, the referee doesn’t do anything. He’s just sitting in his chair saying 15-40, 30A, or warning. He never gets out of his chair to check a mark.
“We have to change that,” he continued. “It causes a lot of frustration. It’s very hard to accept, especially at such an important time.”
Fils can at least take comfort from the fact that electronic line calling is still being resisted at his home major of Roland-Garros, as the French Slam continues its tradition of using line judges.
