Arthur Fils continues to be absolutely on fire. Champion at the Conde de Godó, the Frenchman has become an expert in surviving very tough early tournament matches to then cruise smoothly; after overcoming Ignacio Buse in a nerve-wracking duel, he defeated Emilio Nava in the third round of the Mutua Madrid Open 2026 in a much more linear-paced match, where he exerted greater control from the baseline and reduced his errors.
He is someone with superhuman confidence in every stroke, someone who feels he has renewed his tennis after a tough back injury that kept him dry dock for eight months. Now, Fils rediscovers himself and does so on a basis he spoke about in the press conference afterwards: more work on the backhand area and movements on that side, a better understanding of the game and solidity, and complete faith in the honesty of his team members. A delight to listen to, without a doubt.
Fils compares Barcelona and Madrid and reflects on aspects of his progression
- About the found solidity in his tennis and being able to be patient from the back of the court
"I think it's important, especially in conditions like these, which are very fast. Today, my opponent was serving very well, hitting real 'bombs', 220 down the middle, 217 wide, too good, so I had to focus on my serve, try to be solid when the rallies started. And I think I did pretty well; I just had one bad game at 3-1. Still, I'm pretty happy with how I reacted, refocused, broke after and closed the match."

- About the ability to physically regulate his body after long matches he ran out of steam in the Miami semifinals: has he improved?
"I think I did pretty well in Barcelona. I'm doing well here. I had to push a little more in the first round, with Ignacio (Buse). It was a tough match, I had to delve deeper into the emotional side, but today I was quite consistent, so that was very positive, I'm quite satisfied with it."
Cette actualité est une traduction automatique. Vous pouvez lire la nouvelle originale Fils compara las condiciones de Madrid y Barcelona y elige: "Me quedo con las del Godó"

