Fils reflects on his start to the year and considers the week at Indian Wells as "one of the best."
After a tightly contested match against Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinals of Indian Wells (6-4, 2-6, 7-6), the Frenchman exited with his head held high. Despite being unsettled by challenging playing conditions, Arthur Fils demonstrated true mental strength.
Speaking to our colleagues at Eurosport, the native of Bondoufle (Essonne) analyzed his match against the world number seven:
"To play from the baseline with rhythm, he's one of the best players in the world, if not the best. I tried to mix things up a bit, to change, because otherwise, I could have lost in two sets quite quickly.
I had to change. I managed to do it pretty well. I found myself ahead in the 3rd set. That shows I was on the right track."
"Sometimes, I need to approach things a bit differently. For example, at 7-7 in the tie-break, I hit three forehands in the same spot. These are things I need to adjust.
It's good, I go for it, but not smartly enough, unfortunately. Then, on the last point, I made a good volley, and in the end, I didn't know he could hit a passing shot like that. I found myself a bit surprised and couldn't play the next volley.
Maybe in 99% of cases, it would have worked. This time, it didn't. It's frustrating, but that's how it is."
At just 20 years old, Arthur Fils is sending a strong message to the rest of the tour. Ambitious, the Frenchman aims to keep the momentum going:
"I know I had a great tournament. I can do much better, for sure. Especially in this match. I had opportunities in tough conditions, but it didn't change.
I have three wins and, unfortunately, one loss. It's a good week, one of the best since the start of the season. I need to focus on the positives and keep going."
Indian Wells 
