Son maintains confidence in his dream: "I believe I can be number one in the world someday"

Carlos Navarro | 7 May 2026 | 14.58

Son keeps the dream of number one intact. Source: Getty

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Arthur Fils is one of the names making waves on the ATP circuit. There is no secret, just hard work and a spectacular form that led him to conquer the Conde de Godó and, to top it off, challenge Jannik Sinner in the Mutua Madrid Open semifinals. However, that match did not go as expected, as he was clearly outperformed by the Italian. Nevertheless, the Frenchman has learned the lesson and now approaches the 2026 ATP Rome with renewed energy.

It is not an easy task to recover from such a setback, to see oneself far from a competitor you wish to match. However, Arthur has courage and boldness to easily respond, and his spirits seem fully recovered before the Italian tournament. His confidence and ease reach such a level that he himself admits that the semifinals in Madrid were more like a "massacre"... but he is enjoying his level and the clay court like a child and his long-term plan remains the same: to climb to the top of the world ranking, as he confessed in the pre-tournament interview with Tennis TV.

Fils opens up about his current moment, his big tennis dream, and facing Jannik Sinner

- Brutal balance on the clay tour: the secret behind his great form?

"Good question, because it could have been two defeats and not a single victory. I saved a match point against Terence (Atmane, in his Barcelona debut), had three tough sets against Buse in Madrid... it all could have turned out completely different. In any case, I am very happy with my results in the last two weeks. I have played at a very high level since Barcelona, and I am enjoying it a lot, feeling very comfortable on the clay court."

- Going head-to-head with Sinner in Madrid: how was that experience

"Head-to-head? That wasn't head-to-head, my friend (laughs). It was more like a massacre, but perfect (laughs). Jokes aside... he is an incredible champion. He hasn't lost a match since Indian Wells. Too many consecutive victories, it's crazy. Interestingly, when we stepped on the court, neither of us had lost a match on clay yet, and I thought: 'Everything is fine, maybe I can be the one to make him lose...' It didn't happen. Nonetheless, it was a great experience sharing the court with him. I learned my lesson from that match, tried to work on what didn't work, and I hope that the next time we face each other, I'll put all that into play. I did enjoy that match, in any case."

- Firm belief that one day he can be the world number one: that, certainly, hasn't faded

"Of course, I still believe in it. I know it will require a lot of work, a lot of suffering, that the journey will be very long, but I continue to believe that I can be the world number one someday. It's been my dream since I was little, since I was six years old... it's not easy, it won't be easy, that's for sure, but if I keep working, why not? Why not believe? It's always good and positive to believe in your dreams."

- The importance of playing long matches and how he enjoys battles like the ones he's had on the clay tour

"I love the heat of battle, the struggle of long matches. In my recent early rounds, I have had quite a few matches of this kind, and it's all about the fight. Since I generally like to play long matches, I win them. And, the best part: it allows me to find my rhythm for the rest of the tournament. Once I find my pace in an event, I consider myself a tough player to beat, difficult to defeat, but you have to find it, and that's not easy."

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Fils mantiene la confianza en su sueño: "Creo que puedo ser número uno del mundo algún día"