QATAR EXXONMOBIL OPEN

February 19, 2026

Arthur Fils

Press Conference

A. FILS/J. Lehecka

6-3, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Maybe your thought on that match. It was such a tight match. Despite the score, every game went to deuce or advantage. You must be pretty satisfied of how clutch you are.

ARTHUR FILS: Yeah, well I was pretty clutch today, very happy about it. It's the first match since Montpellier that I'm that clutch. A lot of break points to save, a lot of deuce, like you say, or maybe it's 15-30. It was not easy.

Maybe we see the score 6-3, 6-3, people think, okay, one break each set. No, it was very tough. Tough condition as well. It was cold and a bit windy, so not easy to do a lot of winners. But pretty happy with the way I stayed focused during the match. I think we did a great job, so, yeah, we have to keep going like this.

Q. It's good after some months of injuries to come back and find yourself in the semifinal. How do you react to that? How happy you are? Did you trust yourself to be so ready so early? What do you think about the next match against, who knows, but maybe Sinner?

ARTHUR FILS: Well, I'm going to start with the first question. Yeah, I didn't know that I was going to play that good that fast, for sure. You don't know what to expect when you are back from injury since, what, six to eight months. So you don't really know what to expect.

Pretty happy with the way I'm playing now. It's not my best tennis yet so far, but we're getting there, you know. I just need to fight every match to play a lot of balls, to play a lot of games, sets, points, to get again ready, and getting better and better, you know.

Yeah, it's pretty cool to see that I'm already in the semifinals since eight months out, so it's nice.

About the second question, well, I don't know who I'm going to play. If it's Jannik, then it's a very good match to play. It's a great experience. I think we played three years ago in Montpellier, so I remember it was a tough battle.

Yeah, it's a nice experience, you know. I've been out since eight months, so it's a good match, yeah.

Q. You have hired Goran Ivaniševic, who's been the coach of a No. 1 in the world. That shows that you have some kind of ambitions. Are you expecting of yourself to do similar results? And how did you persuade him to come and be your coach, and what has he already told you to do that you didn't expect?

ARTHUR FILS: That's a long question (laughing). Well, you know, he knows very good also my other coach, Ivan Cinkuš. So the connection was pretty easy. Ivan told me that Goran could help me, that he has a lot of experience, he has some free time now. So we just talk a little bit, and we decide to take a shot, you know, to try.

It's working pretty well for now. I mean, we just start right now. It's been three or four days. So, you know, we just, he just saw me play twice now the match. So he helped me, for sure. During the match he was telling me couple of things to change or to adapt better. I did it, and I was successful. It's a good start, let's say.

Yeah, of course, I'm still young. I have a lot of ambition. Since I was very young I wanted to be one of the best tennis players, and try my best to try to win some great titles, some slams, if I can. So, yeah, maybe, I mean, I hope he's going to help me. Of course, on the court it's me, you know, it's just me and myself. It's me holding the racquet and taking the decision. But if he can help me to escape from some, how you say? The trap? Yes, to escape from the trap more quickly, you know what I mean (laughing). So, yeah.

Q. You said after you were out for eight months because of a serious injury at a very young age, I'm curious if during this eight months at some point you were like, Okay, am I going to be back at all, or at my best level. Because, I mean, Jiri had the same, he was back in three months. Maybe, in your mind, for you it was taking a long time?

ARTHUR FILS: I found out that I was pretty strong mentally. During that eight months I didn't really ask myself if I was going to be back. I'm sure I'm going to be back at my level, and for sure at a higher level. It's just maybe going to take some time. It's okay if it's taking two months or six months or one years, two years, I don't really care, I'm sure I will be back. Even now it's getting better and better.

So, just have to stay very positive. If I'm very positive in the mind, and I really think and I really trust the process, then on court it's going to be more easy. So, yeah, just stay positive and never questioning the journey.

Q. You are obviously very young, but in the past France has had a lot of very good players, but not No. 1. The same was for Italy for a long time. Now we have the structure. France has a very good structure, very good coaches. But sometimes it maybe is miss, or that means that the No. 1 is sent by heaven, or it's just a chance or is not the fruit of a big work.

ARTHUR FILS: Tennis, I'm sure you know that tennis is a tough sport. The tennis has been dominated by Rafa, Roger, Novak, Andy, all those guys, for 20 years. So, of course when you are a guy like, I don't know, Gael or Jo-Wilfried or Richard or Simon, they are unbelievable champions, but it's not really easy to beat those guys. I mean, if they were still playing now, I don't know if someone else will be No. 1 in the world.

I think France has first a good school, of course. Because, like you said, a lot of players who are very good. Maybe didn't get very lucky with the time they played, but let's try to change it.

Q. You weren't born when Yannick Noah won the French Open. He's the last one playing also serve and volley. But you must have heard a lot about him, and probably many people think that you could do similar results, who knows. So what do you know about the story of the French tennis? And about yourself, do you think you have some strategical need to improve your tennis? Because you play very well, but I saw you sometimes losing matches that you shouldn't lose, for instance, with Arnaldi. I don't know how you lost four times in a row to Arnaldi, and I thought you are better player.

ARTHUR FILS: (Laughing). Oh my God, don't disrespect the guy (laughing). I mean, I tell you, he's a hell of a player. Especially for me he's a hell of a player. But, well, like I said, it's a tough sport. Sometimes, yeah, you have some matches you think you're going to win and you just lose it.

My goal is to be more consistent. Of course, it's something that I talk a lot about with the team, trying to keep the consistency, not to do a lot of up and downs. I think it's the key for me especially, because everyone knows that I can play tennis. Everyone knows that I'm one of the best when I play good. But I need to be one of the best when I play bad. That's something that we are trying to do.

Of course, it's not easy. But I'm just 21, and I have, what, 10, 15 more years on tour. So, yeah, 20 maybe, hopefully. So hopefully I will get there one day (laughing). Yeah, I just need to be more consistent. Of course, trying to make my game better and better with a lot of things. You know, coming to the net, a lot of things to do better. So it's good. I'm already playing pretty good, and I have a lot of things to change.