Arthur Fils Dreams of Becoming World No.1 in the Future After Standout Clay Swing

Arthur Fils has admitted that he has a big dream for his future amid a remarkable clay swing on tour. The 21-year-old has been one of the standout players of the last few months and appears as one of the few names capable of ending the dominance of Jannik Sinner at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Rome.

Fils is currently in a great moment in his career, just weeks after returning to tour from a six min injury. Fils dropped in the rankings and was outside the Top 40 when he made his comeback in February, but he’s currently on the brink of breaking into the top 15, thanks to his quick recovery and great campaign on clay.

He has suffered just one loss on clay this season. His only defeat came at the Madrid Open against Sinner in the semi-finals. He was on a nine-match winning streak before the clash and has won the Barcelona Open during that period. He’s back at the Italian Open, where he reached the round of 16 last year.

He has won 20 of his last 24 matches, with three of those defeats coming against players in the top 4 of the ATP rankings. Despite missing the first month of the 2026 season, Fils is ranked No.4 in the Live Race To Turin. The Frenchman has a good chance of breaking into the top 10 with a good performance in the second half of the season.

Fils missed almost the entirety of the second half of last season due to injuries, meaning he will be defending one of the lowest points amongst the big 20, giving him the momentum to climb the rankings ladder. He admitted during his press conference that his dream is to become World No.1 in the future:

I still believe in it, yes. I know it will require a lot of work, many difficulties, and it will be a long road, but I really hope to become the World No. 1 someday. Since I was little, I have been doing all of this to become the World No. 1. It’s not easy, and it certainly won’t be. But if I work hard… why not believe? It is beautiful to believe.

Fils is currently ranked World No.17 and will kick off his campaign at the Italian Open in the second round following a bye. He will face Italian Andrea Pellegrino, who came through the qualifying rounds before beating fellow compatriot Luca Nardi in the first round of the tournament in Rome.

Arthur Fils excited about his display on clay this season

Arthur Fils reached two consecutive quarter-finals before heading to the Barcelona Open last month. He skipped the Monte Carlo Masters, taking the advice of his coach Goran Ivanisevic, and returned to the court in Barcelona. In the Spanish city, he defeated Andrey Rublev to win his first ATP title of the season.

The 21-year-old then went on to win four matches before his semi-final exit at the Madrid Open. With this run, he looks comfortable on the clay court, perhaps more than he looked on the hard court earlier this season. During the aforementioned media interview, he admitted he’s happy with his performances at the tournament:

I saved a match point against Terence Atmane in Barcelona, I played three very difficult sets against Yunchaokete Bu in Madrid… everything could have gone either way. In any case, I am very happy with my results over these last two weeks. I have been playing at a very high level since Barcelona and I’m enjoying it a lot. I feel very comfortable on clay.

Fils has only played at the Italian Open on three occasions. His best run at the tournament was last year, when he reached the fourth round before losing to Alexander Zverev. He’s in a better form compared to 2025, which will give him the confidence and belief that he can do better than last year.

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