“Because of him I didn’t play good”: Fils plays down early Wimbledon exit, says he needs matches
Arthur Fils bowed out of Wimbledon in the second round to former finalist Matteo Berrettini, accepting the defeat and his lack of rhythm just two weeks after the French No. 1 had refused to treat the tournament as a mere comeback.
Arthur Fils, Wimbledon 2026 | © Ch. Caillaud / Panoramic
Two weeks ago Arthur Fils bristled at the idea that Wimbledon was a soft re-entry, insisting he was “not here to make up the numbers.” On Thursday, beaten in the second round on his Centre Court debut, the French No. 1 accepted his exit with a shrug: “It is what it is.” Translation : something very far from his new standards.
Fils, the No. 20 seed, lost 6-4, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 to 2021 finalist Matteo Berrettini, in his first Grand Slam appearance since Roland-Garros 2025 and since an injury sustained in Rome kept him off court for close to two months. He offered no illusions about his level. “Not very good, to be honest,” he said. “I was not feeling very comfortable today on the court. Struggling a little bit with the movement, with everything.”
Rather than dwell on his own game, Fils turned much of the credit to his opponent, a former finalist (2021) who has staged his own resurgence this fortnight: Matteo Berrettini. “He served very good during the whole match. He was putting me under pressure,” Fils said. “He’s a huge champion, and that’s also because of him that I didn’t play good.”
With 16 aces, 67% of first serves in, 77% of points won behind it and 54% behind the second serve, Berrettini left almost nothing on his service games.
I just need to play more matches.
The Frenchman located the problem in rhythm rather than fitness, pointing to chances he could not convert. “I got a couple of break points, some 15-30, love-30,” he said. “A couple of months before, I would not let it go. Today I was not able to take them.” The remedy, he suggested, was mundane: “I just need to play more matches.”
Pressed on the toll of seven sets of tennis across two rounds, Fils insisted his body had come through intact – the more important verdict after the layoff. “I feel good. Everything’s fine. No pain, nowhere,” he said. “Green light.”
He was willing, too, to find something salvageable in a week that ended earlier than he had hoped. “There is positive everywhere. I didn’t know if I was about to play here. At the end I was able,” Fils said.
For all the pre-tournament defiance, the exit leaves Fils where he began the grass season: short of matches and searching for the level that made his early 2026, capped by the Barcelona title, so promising. He was non-committal on when he returns, saying only that the American hard-court swing lies ahead and that his schedule was still to be settled with his team.
