Arthur Fils has divulged that his run to the Barcelona Open title was motivated by “awful” comments made about him by a journalist.
The French star secured his fourth ATP Tour title — and first since October 2024 — at the Barcelona Open earlier this month. It was Fils’ third title at ATP 500 level.
Fils won five matches to claim the trophy in Barcelona, and he has extended his winning streak to eight matches with his progress at the Madrid Open.
The 21-year-old saw off Ignacio Buse, Emilio Nava and Tomas Martin Etcheverry en route to the quarter-finals at the Masters 1000 event in the Spanish capital.
In a press conference in Madrid, Fils spoke about proving a journalist wrong with his Barcelona Open title.
“In Barcelona, I saw a journalist speak very badly about me. Really very badly,” Fils was quoted as saying by We Love Tennis (translated from French).
“So I was very happy to win the title, to prove him completely wrong.
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“I try not to react to these things, I try not to see them, but when they reach me, I have to read them and think about them.”
The world No 25 went on to declare that he did not remember exactly what the journalist said.
“I was very surprised by his comments and I didn’t appreciate the way he expressed himself,” he added. “But I think winning the title was the best response.
“I don’t remember exactly what he said, but it was awful.”
Following his fourth round win over Etcheverry in Madrid, Fils spoke about his impressive streak.
“It feels good, it’s a good habit. You get to the court, you play, you win, you go back to the hotel, you do your treatment, you come back the next day and you win again,” said Fils.
“It’s a really good thing, it’s not common, so when it happens I just enjoy it. For now I’m just trying to win one more, then we’ll see about those players who win 20 in a row or 17 in a row, for me right now it’s not possible, maybe someday.”
Fils’ run in Madrid has increased his points total by 190 to 1,930, which has lifted him seven places to 18th in the Live ATP Rankings.
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