Laurent Raymond Speaks About Arthur Fils: "In Terms of Power, He’s Among the Top Two or Three on the Tour"

Arthur Fils has just reached back-to-back quarterfinals at Indian Wells and Miami. The French No. 1 at just 20 years old, the Bondoufle (Essonne) native is experiencing a meteoric rise, with many observers giving him very little time before he breaks into the top 10.

In an interview with *L’Équipe*, France’s team coach Laurent Raymond discussed the current world No. 15 and his potential to enter the top 10:

"First, his progression in terms of speed has been quite exceptional. Others might have plateaued or even regressed, but that hasn’t been the case for him.

Last year, he only needed half a season to adapt to many changes around him, including his training structure, which is nothing in the grand scheme of things.

Since then, he’s been on a steady upward trajectory. He doesn’t win every week, of course, but he’s now claimed two ATP 500 titles and, for the first time, strung together two consecutive Masters 1000 quarterfinals.

That’s proof of consistency in his work. If all goes well, if there are no injuries, I don’t see what could stop him from entering the top 10.

His greatest quality—and what impresses me most about him—is his ability to quickly understand and integrate information. Whether in pre-match briefings to establish a game plan or, especially, in debriefs, I immediately noticed how sharp and self-aware he is.

He accepts criticism, he’s open to it, and self-analysis doesn’t scare him. He’s one of those players who remembers almost every point of a match, which is essential for learning from it. He was unbeatable in that regard. The best players are thoughtful, quick learners with a kind of hard drive that records everything, all the time—just like him.

You couldn’t say he tended to give up. In reality, he was carried away by nervousness, tension, and he’d implode. On that front, he’s worked incredibly hard and improved a lot.

That’s the most crucial part, especially once everything else is in place. What sets him apart is his extraordinary power, which puts him among the top two or three on the tour in that category.

Physically, he’s resilient, and tactically, he reads the game perfectly. Plus, he’s ambitious and unafraid of others.

So much so that now, whenever he faces a higher-ranked opponent, he doesn’t just play nice. Instead, you hear the classic: ‘Damn, that’s a tough draw...’"