“I try to detach myself from it,” Young gun Arthur Fils speaks on following the footsteps of teen stars Carlos Alcarz and Holger Rune
Arthur Fils become the first male tennis player born in 2004 to make it to the quarter-finals of an ATP event when he defeated Roberto Bautista Agut in Open Sud de France tournament. In a recent interview, he talked about his plans for the future and his comparisons with Holger Rune and Carlos Alcaraz.
Follow Us
Arthur Fils and Holger Rune and Carlos Alcaraz
In the past one year many things changed in the sport. Old brass is making way for young blood and the younger generation is filling the voids left by the older generation. Roger Federer retired in 2022 after an illustrious career and 20 Grand Slam triumphs.
In the same year, young Arthur Fils made his debut. He is only 18 years old. He got a wildcard entry into the Paris Masters 2022. This season he became the latest teenager when he reached the quarter-final round of an ATP event. He defeated Roberto Bautista Agut in the second round of the Open Sud de France at Montpellier.
Following his astounding victories, he has raised his targets. The current World No.163 wants to breach into the Top 10. He helped his cause at this tournament when he beat compatriot Quentin Halys in the quarter-final round match to book a berth in the semi-finals. Here, he will take on Jannik Sinner.
“I don’t put any limits on myself (in terms of ranking), I play well, I progress, the ranking follows, if I can go Top 10 at the end of the year, I will go Top 10 at the end of the year,” he said in an interview.
The French teenager may have taken giant strides this season, but compared to Holger Rune and Carlos Alcaraz, he is still far behind. Carlos Alcaraz won his career’s first Grand Slam title- US Open last year. This triumph helped him to climb to World No.1 rank in the ATP Rankings. He became the youngest World No.1.
Holger Rune beat Novak Djokovic to win 2022 Paris Masters tournament. He is currently ranked as World No.9 in the latest ATP rankings. He is often compared with both the players.
“I try to detach myself from it. When I see Carlos Alcaraz, Holger Rune, all these guys, winning Grand Slams, making finals, I say to myself that Top 150 is good but it’s not the biggest thing at the moment,” he said.
He also calls both the players a source of inspiration.
“When you see Carlos winning the US Open playing great, you think you can do the same, you try to do the same and they are examples, you try to make the best of it. It’s a source of motivation,” he added further.
Keep Exploring: Former World No.1 Ana Ivanovic and partner Bastian Schweinsteiger announce pregnancy for the third time
Arthur Fils talks about his idols
The French teenager idolizes Roger Federer and wants to replicate the success he got in his career. However, he is also inspired by Rafael Nadal. He admitted that his penchant for the Spaniard is recent and that he loves to watch him play.
“My idol was Federer but when you’re older, you enjoy watching Nadal play more and more, his mentality, his way of fighting. These are players who have 22 Grand Slams. I’ll try to do the same to at least try to win one, two or three, they are examples,” he explained.
In the same interview, Arthur Fils also talked about the values his parents taught him which is helping him to become successful in the sport.
“Don’t be afraid of anyone, that’s the way my parents raised me,” he added further.
The 18 year old has the potential to become the story of this season as Holger Rune and Carlos Alcaraz were of last season. However, he needs to perform well consistently to be able to breach into Top 10 of the ATP rankings.
Incase you missed it:
Novak Djokovic applies for special permission to enter the USA for Sunshine Double
Stay Updated!
Abhar Indorkar
(451 Articles Published)