Goran Ivanisevic Makes Bold Prediction About Protege Arthur Fils’ Ranking: “I Am Confident It Will Be Soon”

Arthur Fils lost to Jiri Lehecka in the semifinals of the ongoing Miami Open.

Goran Ivanisevic Makes Bold Prediction About Protege Arthur Fils’ Ranking: “I Am Confident It Will Be Soon”

Goran Ivanisevic, Arthur Fils (Image via X/@nadalprop_, Tiempo De Tenis)

In Short
  • Arthur Fils is currently ranked 31st but has the potential to break into the top five, according to coach Goran Ivanisevic.
  • Fils reached his first Masters 1000 semifinal at the Miami Open but lost to Jiri Lehecka.
  • Ivanisevic previously coached Stefanos Tsitsipas before partnering with Fils, and both have since reconciled.

Arthur Fils is making significant progress under the tutelage of Goran Ivanisevic, who helped Novak Djokovic win half of his 24 Grand Slam titles. The Frenchman confirmed the partnership in February during the Qatar Open, where Fils reached the final but was dismantled by Carlos Alcaraz.

After skipping the Dubai event, Fils reached his fourth quarterfinal in the Masters 1000 at Indian Wells, only to lose in straight sets to three-time Grand Slam finalist Alexander Zverev. But in the ongoing Miami Open, the 21-year-old progressed to his first Masters 1000 semifinal, losing the match 6-2, 6-2 to Jiri Lehecka.

Fils, a former World No.14 (reached in April, 2025), currently stands on the 31st spot on the rankings table. Ivanisevic, during his recent interview with Sportklub, expressed his confidence in Fils’ abilities to crack the top five rankings.

Arthur is one of the most talented young players. Before his injury, he was ranked number 14 in the world. Unfortunately, he was out of competition for seven months, but he’s part of the future of tennis. I see him among the top five.

Next is the clay swing, and Fils will be bidding to win his third title on the surface, having clinched the 2023 Lyon Open and the 2024 Hamburg Open. The last time he won a title was at the 2024 Japan Open.

He possesses extraordinary quality. There’s no pressure about when he’ll achieve it, but I’m confident it will be soon. It’s a project that excites me, as I’ve always wanted to work with young players. I find his game very interesting; there are still aspects to improve, but the overall assessment is very positive.

Goran Ivanisevic added

Last year in the clay-court events, Fils was defeated in the quarterfinals of the Monte Carlo Masters by eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz. The Spaniard defeated him again, this time, in the semifinals of the Barcelona Open.

After an opening-round exit in Madrid, Fils lost to Zverev in the fourth round of the Italian Open, following which an injury forced him to give a walkover to Andrey Rublev in the third round of the French Open.

Goran Ivanisevic on Arthur Fils’ win over Stefanos Tsitsipas

Before joining Arthur Fils’ team, Goran Ivanisevic worked with Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Greek hired the Croatian coach before the grass swing, but shortly after Wimbledon (where Tsitsipas retired mid-match in the first round), they ended the partnership.

Arthur Fils (2)
Arthur Fils (Image via X/The Tennis Letter)

Both had publicly criticized each other, but Ivanisevic, during that interview with Sportklub, said both have buried the hatchet. Ivanisevic was not in the stands when Fils knocked out Tsitsipas 6-0, 6-1 in the third round of the Miami Open.

I didn’t watch it, as it was played at 2:00 AM. I checked my phone this morning and was incredibly surprised. I was expecting Fils to win, but a 6-0, 6-1 scoreline at his current level…one of them must be playing very badly or the other exceptionally well, probably a combination of both. We’ll take it one match at a time.

After parting ways with Ivanisevic, Tsitsipas once again started working with his father, Apostolos Tsitsipas, as his coach. Because of his poor performances, Tsitsipas, a former World No. 3, currently sits at 51st in the rankings.

He has yet to reach a final since defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime in the 2025 Dubai Tennis Championships. This year, the only time Tsitsipas won more than one match in a tournament was at the Qatar Open, where Andrey Rublev beat him in the quarterfinals.

The two-time Grand Slam finalist has played 30 finals, won five clay-court titles, and reached the 2021 French Open final, losing to Novak Djokovic. Last year in Paris, he suffered a second-round exit.

Also read: Goran Ivanisevic Speaks on the Lack of Finals Between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in 2026