Fils sends a message to his haters after winning in Cincinnati
The French tennis player remembered those who thought his physique would prevent him from winning a major tournament after securing his first Masters 1000 title.
Arthur Fils has achieved the most important victory of his career after defeating Frances Tiafoe in the ATP Cincinnati final and secured his first Masters 1000 title at the age of 22. The French tennis player has finally validated all the expectations placed on him with a significant title, and after the match, he remembered all the haters who doubted him because of his physique and claimed that he would never win anything important because of it.
Once Fils completed the trophy ceremony and enjoyed his victory to some extent, he visited the Tennis Channel studio to discuss his win and what it means to him. "I feel great. Honestly, it has been a very tough week, it has been a hard year, a tough season with the injury and all. Winning the title in Cincinnati means a lot to me," he acknowledged, a player who until now had found his own body to be his greatest enemy.
After the match, Arthur left a provocative message on the camera that read 'who's going to talk now?', something he later explained. "When I got injured before Roland Garros, everyone talked a lot. 'Arthur will never win a major title.' Now I’m very happy to prove them wrong. When I go into the third set, if I’ve already won a set, I know how to win another. If I lost the second set, it doesn't matter, because I know how to win another. I pushed myself as hard as I could, because the whole crowd was against me. I only had my team supporting me. I just had to find a way, and I did," he concluded.
Fils warns his rivals ahead of the US Open
However, not everything was easy in the final against Frances, as after an almost flawless first set he fell apart in a second set to forget, but ultimately found the strength to seal the match in the third set. "I started very well, I was very focused, the first three games were really, really good on my side. Then I just held my serve until the end of the first set. However, I had a very tough second set. I wanted to kill myself, but it’s okay. I lost the second set, went to sit on the bench, and said 'okay, I don't know what I'm going to do'. I looked at the team and everyone was telling me to go to the bathroom. I went to the bathroom, talked to the guys, and we did it in the third set," he revealed.
In addition, this victory allows him to arrive at the US Open full of confidence, which could help him shake off the disappointment he has felt with Grand Slams to date. "This is the first time in my life that I have a good moment before going to a Grand Slam. We have the flight tonight. We're going to enjoy it tomorrow in New York. After that, we’ll get back to practice, Tuesday, Thursday, whatever. I'm going to try to bring my best level in New York. I hope to play well and enjoy it."
Fils' emotional message to his parents
A player as versatile as Fils also has to learn to choose his shots wisely, something he is mastering more and more and believes has been key this week. "The issue of respecting tactics is something I have been struggling with for a long time, because sometimes my coach tells me 'play cross-court', and I play a set cross-court but then lose focus. We did pretty well this week. That was the most important thing, I think. Discipline", he stated.
Additionally, he left a heartwarming message for his parents, who could not be present to see him win and had to celebrate via video call with their son. "I was on FaceTime with my dad and my mom. As you know, my dad travels almost every week with me. This is the first week he hasn't been here since the beginning of the year. I feel sorry that he’s not here to share the trophy with me, with us, but it’s also thanks to him that I’m winning a great title like this. The same goes for my mom. She has supported me since I was 5 years old.
It means a lot to me, but also to my family for all the sacrifice. I have my brother, my sister, also at home. My grandma, everyone. Everyone is happy for me. So, yes, it’s good," he concluded. A victory that means a lot for Fils and his family, and that could mark a turning point in the career of one of the players destined to make an impact on the circuit.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Fils manda un recado a sus haters tras ganar en Cincinnati