Arthur Fils gives honest answer to question about Jannik Sinner gap

Speaking to the media, he opened up about his comfort on clay, where he’s lost just once this season.

“It could have been two losses and no wins,” he started, pointing out tight early-round matches against Ignacio Buse and Terence Atmane. “It could have gone the wrong way, but I’m very happy, very happy with the results I had in the past two weeks.

“I mean, played some great tennis in Barcelona, and I’m enjoying myself on the clay, and I really like it.”

The conversation then turned to his semi-final against Sinner at the Madrid Open. When a reporter described it as ‘toe-to-toe’, Fils grinned: “Toe-to-toe? That’s not toe-to-toe. In that first set, was more massacre [laughs].”

He went on: “I mean, he’s a great champion; he didn’t lose one match since Indian Wells, so it’s a lot of wins. A lot of wins in a row.

“It was funny because when we stepped on the court, we both hadn’t lost one game on clay, and I was like okay maybe I’m gonna make him lose… Didn’t happen [laughs].

“But no it was very nice to share the court with him. It’s a great experience for me. I mean I took some lessons from it. I’m trying to work on it as well and hopefully next time we play it’s going to be a bit nicer for me but actually I really enjoyed it.”

Fils finished by talking about his long-term goal of reaching world number one: “I do believe. I do believe it.

“I mean it’s gonna be a lot of work – struggle – long journey – but hopefully I’m gonna be there someday.

“Since I was young i believed i could reach number 1 in the world but again it’s gonna be tough why not? Why not think about that?”

Arthur Fils claims he is the third-best player in the world

While Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev might have something to say about it, Fils has made a strong case over the past few months as the real number three, and the best positioned to push back against Alcaraz and Sinner’s grip on the game.

He’s looked especially sharp on clay. The only loss he has had came from Sinner, who won the Barcelona title before making his way to a semi-final appearance in Madrid.

Coming off such a long spell out with an injury that would sideline most careers, his level of play now is hard to ignore. Once he gets a full season under his belt without interruptions, there’s no telling how high he could climb.

His rise is straightforward compared to Zverev and Djokovic, who are both dealing with their own challenges that have impacted their consistency.

Fils deserves his place in this conversation about being the world’s third-best player and will have another big opportunity to show it at Roland Garros.