ROLEX MONTE-CARLO MASTERS

April 11, 2025

Arthur Fils

Press Conference

C. ALCARAZ/A. Fils

4-6, 7-5, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions in French.

Q. Coming out of the court, there is disappointment, of course. Can you tell us about this match?

ARTHUR FILS: I had opportunities and I didn't convert them. Things turned around very quickly at the end of the second. Between 5-All and 7-5, in a few minutes I didn't manage the situation well, and as a great champion that he is, he did manage the situation well on his side. So I need to learn from that.

Q. Could we compare this defeat against the match against Zverev in Indian Wells, or is it a completely different match here?

ARTHUR FILS: It's totally different. They are opposite matches. You might believe that it's similar but not at all. I don't even know what to say. This loss hurts.

Q. You say it hurts, but it's reassuring because you were able to challenge the player who won the French Open last year?

ARTHUR FILS: Yes, but it's frustrating, because I had many opportunities to get ahead in the score and I didn't make it. So there are positive things but there are also negative things. I need to talk with my team and see what I need to improve.

Q. Of course right after the match, it's a bit difficult to analyze what happened, but can you tell us what moments were crucial? What did you miss to be able to win that match?

ARTHUR FILS: At 5-All, I was not aggressive enough. I could have done better there, but at 15-40 and 30-40, he played two good shots. If I want to win those matches against that kind of player, I should not wait for them to miss because they will not miss.

Then, in the third set, I started off quite well, but I lost my focus on my serve games, and this cost me the game at 3-2 and the break at 4-3, so those two games were not very good.

Q. So his team at that moment was telling him, Keep going, keep going. So you really had him on the edge there?

ARTHUR FILS: Well, it's a tennis match. There are ups and downs. I put pressure on him, but he put pressure on me, and it was his way today.

He's a great champion. Most of those matches are in his favor, and this is how you can see who the best player is.

Q. Three breakpoints you had in the first set. You converted them, but in the second you missed them.

ARTHUR FILS: I counted them too. There were seven of them.

Q. Was this one of the reasons for this defeat?

ARTHUR FILS: Well, the first breakpoints I didn't play them well, but the last three breakpoints he was the one who played them very well. So as to what happened after 5-All, I don't have much to say.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. Tough match. What a match. I had the feeling you had him several times on the edge. Did I get it right in the French part, you lost it in three, four minutes, the match?

ARTHUR FILS: Yeah, I said from 5-All to 7-5, it took probably three minutes to go, and it's too fast.

Q. It may be hard right now, but don't you get the feeling that you are already up there and you can really compete for a big, big title in the next weeks?

ARTHUR FILS: I don't know, you know. I'm working a lot, making hard work. We are doing some great matches against great opponents, some of the best opponents like Daniil, Sascha, and now Carlos.

But, yeah, maybe once I can go more than quarterfinals. I'm gonna try.

THE MODERATOR: More questions in French?

Q. We see you are very upset by the loss. Is that the quality of a champion?

ARTHUR FILS: I am crazy about this. It's so tough to lose those matches, especially when you have opportunities. If you lose 6-2, 6-2, it's annoying, but you think, my level was not good. I need to work.

But in this match, I played well, but I lost my focus at some moments that I shouldn't have, and I didn't make it through.