Halys, after winning his first ATP title: "Je n'avais aucune pression sur mes épaules"

Quentin Halys has been one of the standout names of the weekend. The French tennis player has achieved his first title at ATP Kitzbuhel 2026, where he prevented Alexander Bublik from lifting the trophy for the second consecutive year. Additionally, once he achieved his goal, he spoke naturally about what this feat means and how he always believed in a result of this magnitude.

📊 At 29 years and 272 days, Quentin Halys 🇫🇷 became the 4th oldest French player to win his first title on the ATP circuit:
1⃣ Nicolas Mahut 🇫🇷: 31 years and 152 days
2⃣ Anthony Dupuis 🇫🇷: 30 years and 356 days
3⃣ Adrian Mannarino 🇫🇷: 30 years and 352 days
4⃣… pic.twitter.com/XdVa6l5M6O

— Jeu, Set et Maths (@JeuSetMaths) July 25, 2026

The truth is, Halys is the fourth oldest French tennis player to win his first ATP title (29 years and 273 days), but it's not something that kept him up at night. Quentin has been considered a dangerous player for several seasons now, although he had never managed to take that step forward to triumph in the final rounds. However, in an interview with L'Equipe, he admitted that it was also not something that troubled him.

"I had no particular pressure on my shoulders. I just wanted to play a good match because not every week I have the opportunity to play a final. This time, I really wanted to enjoy the moment. Now, I cannot rest on my laurels. Because we want more, to keep improving. Additionally, I haven't been close to winning a title in the last two years. I am especially pleased with the level of play because I beat some excellent players this week, and that is fantastic," he stated.

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Halys reveals he always believed in winning an ATP title

When a tennis player is nearing 30, they sometimes even come to accept that they might retire achieving good results but not winning a title. Winning a final is only for a few privileged individuals, but Halys never lost hope. "It's always hard to know when you're going to win a title. Last week, after beating Bublik, I felt that the draw was clear, but I lost in the quarterfinals. This week, the draw was very tough, and in the end, I won. I know there are many players who do not have an ATP title despite having fantastic careers. That is something no one can take away from me."

However, complacency is not part of his vocabulary, as he acknowledged, "We cannot afford complacency now either. We want more, we want to keep improving. Another part of the season starts with the American hard courts, so we will need to rest and adapt. These will be tournaments far from home, but we have great goals ahead of us and I hope for a good end to the season."

Halys analyzes the key to his first ATP title

One of the keys to the French player's victory in Kitzbuhel was his serve, which was a goldmine on a surface where it is not usually as important as on clay, something he has improved compared to recent weeks. "To be completely honest, I had quite a few issues with my first serve at Wimbledon. After the tournament, we took the time to review some technical aspects of my serve. It didn't work immediately, but it's improving now. It required a lot of practice and repetition, which is never pleasant."

According to Quentin, "I had to rethink my serve technically, we made some changes. I'm glad it paid off today (Saturday). I know my serve remains a key indicator of my performance, but I have to keep pushing myself." At the moment, not only his serve is delivering results, but his overall game, garnering a result that can serve as a springboard for the second half of the season.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Halys, tras ganar su primer título ATP: "No tenía ninguna presión sobre mis hombros"