Tennis. French No. 1, finalist at Roland-Garros in the youth category... Five things to know about Arthur Fils
Arthur Fils is currently the French No. 1 tennis player and 14th in the world. Having qualified for the round of 16 in Rome, where he faces Alexander Zverev on Tuesday, all eyes will be on him at Roland Garros. Discover five unusual facts about this 20-year-old.
French number 1, Arthur Fils, is highly anticipated at Roland-Garros. Photo from Sipa archives
In Monte Carlo, Arthur Fils lost in the quarterfinals to Carlos Alcaraz . But in the second round, the Frenchman almost blinded a spectator. While celebrating his victory against Flavio Cobolli , he sent a ball into the crowd. Except that the Frenchman missed his shot, which ended up very close to a spectator, who was ultimately lucky.
This content is blocked because you have not accepted cookies and other trackers.
By clicking on "I accept" , cookies and other trackers will be placed and you will be able to view the contents ( more information ).
By clicking on "I accept all cookies" , you authorize the deposit of cookies and other tracers for the storage of your data on our sites and applications for the purposes of personalization and advertising targeting.
You can withdraw your consent at any time by consulting our data protection policy . Manage my choices
Although he was born in Bondoufle in Essonne and maintains close ties with Saint-Michel-sur-Orge where he is licensed, Arthur Fils lives part of the year in Dubai, where he bought a pied-à-terre with his tournament winnings estimated at nearly 5.5 million euros, according to ATP as of April 26, 2025.
€5,426,197 in cumulative winnings
3/ He has been the new French number 1 for only two monthsRanked 14th in the world in the ATP rankings before the Roland-Garros tournament, this is his best ranking. He is ahead of his compatriot, Ugo Humbert from Lorraine, since March 10, 2025 and his breakthrough at the Indian Wells tournament where he reached the quarter-finals for the first time .
Since then, he has beaten German giant Alexander Zverev (No. 2) in Miami, reached the quarter-finals in Monte Carlo and the semi-finals in Barcelona where he fell to world number one Carlos Alcaraz . While he is now 14th , Arthur Fils was ranked 20th in the ATP rankings in 2024, 36th in 2023... and only 667th in 2021! A meteoric rise.
This content is blocked because you have not accepted cookies and other trackers.
By clicking on "I accept" , cookies and other trackers will be placed and you will be able to view the contents ( more information ).
By clicking on "I accept all cookies" , you authorize the deposit of cookies and other tracers for the storage of your data on our sites and applications for the purposes of personalization and advertising targeting.
You can withdraw your consent at any time by consulting our data protection policy . Manage my choices
Arthur Fils started playing tennis at the age of 5 and began his junior career in 2021. He quickly shone on the international scene by reaching the Roland-Garros finals in singles and doubles. In singles, he lost (on his birthday!) to his compatriot Luca Van Assche, an all-French final for the first time since 2002 and the victory of a certain Richard Gasquet .
This content is blocked because you have not accepted cookies and other trackers.
By clicking on "I accept" , cookies and other trackers will be placed and you will be able to view the contents ( more information ).
By clicking on "I accept all cookies" , you authorize the deposit of cookies and other tracers for the storage of your data on our sites and applications for the purposes of personalization and advertising targeting.
You can withdraw your consent at any time by consulting our data protection policy . Manage my choices
In doubles, Arthur Fils won the Grand Slam, partnering Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard . Thanks to his two historic performances, the tennis player rose to 3rd place in the junior world rankings.
5/ His father put his career aside to follow himIt was thanks to his father, Jean, that Arthur Fils discovered tennis as a child. Together (and with a ball-throwing machine), they spent hours practicing on the municipal courts of Brétigny and then Saint-Michel-sur-Orge in Essonne.
"When he felt he wasn't doing enough, he was behind him, sometimes scolding him. He was very demanding and brought rigor," says Morgan Ferguson, Arthur's coach at Savigny-sur-Orge, in the columns of L'Équipe . Even today, Arthur's father is always present to the point that the engineer has taken time off to be able to follow his prodigious son all over the world.
Le Progres
