Sons: "I would be lying if I said that the ATP Finals don't cross my mind"

Arthur Fils has taken a giant step towards qualifying for the ATP Finals in Turin after defeating Alex Michelsen in two sets and sealing his place in the semifinals of ATP Brussels. Currently, the French tennis player is ranked number 6 in the Race considering the absence of Jannik Sinner, and in a press conference, he acknowledged that it is something he constantly has on his mind.

This year is proving to be a breakout year for Fils. Despite facing some physical setbacks, just like last year, the French tennis player has won his first Masters 1000 in Cincinnati and is achieving great results, which has allowed him to immerse himself in the fight to reach Turin. Furthermore, in the ATP ranking, he has already ensured that he will leave Brussels as the number 8 in the world, and if he wins the tournament, he would surpass Felix Auger-Aliassime and become number 7. 

"I would be lying if I said it doesn't cross my mind, but I try to see it from a different perspective. The fact that I am in this race is still something very positive. I would have never imagined it at the beginning of the year when I was ranked number 40. Going to the Masters at the end of the year after that... it rarely happens. There is some tension, but it's quite fun, it feels good. Even for my career, for my future, these are situations that I will relive. It's good to have a first experience. I try to focus on my game, taking it match by match, not to focus too much on the points or the ranking," he acknowledged.

Fils' complaint about ATP Brussels

Regarding the Michelsen match, it is worth noting a second set that was decided in a tie-break 14-12 in favor of the Frenchman, who had to save several set balls and missed some match points. "I am very happy to have finished in two sets. Afterwards, I would have liked to close the match with my serve at 5-4. These things happen. I haven't played a match in a long time. A bit of tension, a bit of rush. I think we offered a good show for the fans in the tiebreak. It was great. I’m glad I won in two sets and didn’t have to go to a third," he stated.

Additionally, after Jaume Munar's withdrawal in the first round, he experienced an unusual situation where he has trained for 6 days without playing. "It's never happened to me before. Well, it happens to us at the Masters 1000 tournaments when we arrive very early to train, but it definitely feels strange. But in the end, I played a match and I’m in the semifinals, so it’s not that bad."

In fact, this was compounded by the fact that there was a change of courts during the tournament, and he acknowledged that "I trained non-stop for six days. They changed courts during the tournament, with very different conditions. You’re playing with a little less tension, so you need to play with a bit more trajectory. You have to break the rhythm a bit, use the serve in a slightly different way. If I had known in advance that I was going to play on Friday, I would have arrived on Wednesday. Because in the end, you're changing courts, so it doesn’t make much sense. I could have trained somewhere else," he concluded.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Fils: "Mentiría si dijese que las ATP Finals no se me pasan por la cabeza"