ROLEX MONTE-CARLO MASTERS

April 9, 2025

Arthur Fils

Press Conference

A. FILS/F. Cobolli

6-2, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. Congratulations. I have to ask about the celebration. The camera didn't show where the ball went, but I guess it wasn't what you planned?

ARTHUR FILS: Yeah. It was the worst shot of the match. It was terrible. I don't know. I was going for the sea, and it went straight to the crowd.

I got a bit scared, but hallelujah, it didn't touch anyone.

Q. You have been so consistent, obviously Indian Wells, Miami, here. What does it mean to you to have this momentum coming into the clay and you're going to be playing some home tournaments?

ARTHUR FILS: Yeah, it's nice. It's nice. I played great, like you said, in Indian Wells and Miami. So when you get here, you know that you play great tennis, even if it's on clay now. I know that I have my chance against almost everyone.

So it's pretty nice to play these kind of big tournaments, knowing that you can beat almost everyone, yeah.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in French.

Q. The opponent was in good shape lately, winning several matches in a row.

ARTHUR FILS: He won four or five matches in Bucharest. Was he seeded? Let's look it up.

Q. But it means you made progress because you were able to win it.

ARTHUR FILS: He was a good opponent. He plays extremely well on clay. He has a good forehand, hits hard. He's fast. It was not an easy match, but I started off very well, and when you start well, you are confident, and I was able to keep it up to the end.

It's rare. I haven't won in two sets since the beginning of the year, but it was good to do that today and not lose too much energy and being able to recoup immediately.

Q. Looking it up, he won five matches.

ARTHUR FILS: Okay.

Q. Did you feel more serene on the court today?

ARTHUR FILS: You are never sure how you're going to play for your first match on clay. The first set was a bit laboring, but in the third set I played very well. I wanted to do the same today.

I feel I'm playing well right now. It's always nice to play when you have good feelings on the court, and I stepped into the court being confident and relaxed.

Q. (Off mic.)

ARTHUR FILS: Well, that's who I am, the way I behave on the court. I feel many emotions when I'm on the court. Most of the time I encourage myself, but sometimes I get frustrated. I am who I am.

Of course you need to have some control. You can't do whatever comes to mind. I can't lose my energy, of course, but if I do that now and then, at the time when I think it's right, I believe it can only be good and it's a bonus for me.

Q. Playing against Gael might have been something nice. Do you have regrets that you're not going to play him?

ARTHUR FILS: Yes, I really would have loved to play against Gael at least once, but this happens. I thought he was able to turn around that match. He had opportunities to go into three sets, but now I'm going to concentrate on my next match.

Q. Safin means something to you?

ARTHUR FILS: Oh, it's nice. We practiced together three days ago. It was great. He's a very big champion. Having him with us on the tour is great.

Q. With Gael, we saw you were talking. There is a lot of dialogue between the two generations, the younger ones and the older ones. Are you talking about tactics? Did you exchange your tactics?

ARTHUR FILS: Yes, we talked about it, about tactics. I'm not going to tell you what we said. And some jokes, too. Whether with Gael or Richard, all the players of this generation I get along very well.

They always try to help the younger players, so it's always cool to be able to talk with them and understand their experience and seeing how they dealt with some situations, and we are comforted to know.

Q. You were talking about recoup, but you'll be watching TV tonight?

ARTHUR FILS: Of course. I want to see that match. I watched the Real Madrid and it hurt. But I hope I'm going to sleep well tonight. We keep hoping, but I will be watching TV.