Tuesday, March 11, 2025

Arthur Fils

Press Conference

A. FILS/M. Giron

6-2, 2-6, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Congrats, Arthur. This is your first Masters 1000 quarterfinal. You saved a match point last round and went through another three-setter today. What has been working so well for you here?

ARTHUR FILS: Well, I don't know, man (smiling). I don't know. I guess I have been a bit lucky against Lorenzo, saving match point, it's not often. But I'm just fighting, trying to find a way during every match. For now, it's working, so pretty happy about it.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Excellent performance. The serving in the third set, you turned that match around. You won all your second-serve points and dropped just three points in that set. How did you make the turnaround? Chalk it up to experience, hunger?

ARTHUR FILS: Yeah, I knew I had to put much more intensity, you know. Because when I get back at 3-1, he was playing a bit faster than me. He was moving me around and was tough for me.

So I said, okay, third set, you go, you go full. You hit all the first serve. You put a lot of kick in the second serve and all the forehand, you kill it.

Okay, maybe it's out sometime, but at the end, more in than out.

So yeah, that was the tactic in the third set.

Q. You said you have been fighting more.

ARTHUR FILS: Yeah.

Q. Were there times when you felt like you would stop fighting in matches, or just the energy would go away? What is it...

ARTHUR FILS: This week or in general?

Q. Yeah, in the last year, say, something like that. I mean, even in Australia, whenever. What is it that makes you, do you think, get to the point where you are fighting more?

ARTHUR FILS: Good question (smiling).

Yeah, I think that last year a couple of matches went a bit, like this (snapping fingers.) Losing, get broken, then losing 6-2.

Yeah, we had some good talks with the team. Probably I'm a bit more mature now, so I know that I have to fight until the last point. Maybe that's why I'm doing it now.

Q. Did you watch videos and the team tell you, You're not fighting?

ARTHUR FILS: No, not like this, no (smiling). No, because you know you always fight. But they tell you, like, Okay, now you lose the focus.

For me, it's more about the focus. I get broken and then I lose the focus, and I can lose again a game and, I don't know, just the focus went away.

We talk a lot about it. Even if you get broken, even if you are 4-Love down, like against Musetti, you still have to keep the focus and try to win those points to put yourself in the match. There is no take 6-0 and, okay, we try to win the second set. No, it's not working like this. Yeah.

Q. Along the same lines, you're only 20, but you have had a lot of experience. You won a couple of 500s last year. Been around quite a bit and know how to play against these top players. Your experience now and also with these problems with your focus, does your experience start to help you?

ARTHUR FILS: Yeah, a bit, for sure. One year ago I think I would lose that match. So, yeah, more matches you play, more confidence you get, and even when you lose, you know what you have to do in the next matches to win it.

So I think the experience help me a lot now.

Q. About the match point against Musetti, I didn't get a chance to ask you about it the other night. Can you talk us through that point and what your memory of it was? Have you watched a video of it again since then?

ARTHUR FILS: Yeah. I was 40-Love, and -- you know, we talk about that focus. Was 40-Love. I lost four points straight in a row. Completely, I don't want to say bad word, bullshit. Missing dropshot, missing forehand, missing again forehand. Okay, he did one great winner, but like this I went from 40-Love to match point to save.

And then I said to myself, I mean, we had a couple of talks with the team that I'm still young so I have to go for it. Even if it's tough, even if it is not okay, 4-All, you want to play a bit with more spin and to put in the court. No, in the match point, I try to go for it.

I think I did great forehand, and then I came to the net, did a great volley. Sometimes will pay; sometimes not. But maybe at the end I will win more points than lose.