"Since Goran arrived, I have another way to see things": Arthur Fils lauds fruitful new partnership with Goran Ivanisevic

Arthur Fils admitted his serve proved to be the biggest obstacle in his straight-sets defeat to Jannik Sinner, despite an otherwise encouraging run to the latter stages of the Madrid Open.

Asked about the key challenge he faced in Madrid, the Frenchman was blunt in his assessment. “My serve,” Fils said. “The numbers were pretty bad. But, joke aside, he’s a great champion. He didn’t lose one match since Indian Wells, maybe, so he’s playing with a lot of confidence. He hits the ball very clean from both sides and he was serving very well.”

Fils struggled to find his rhythm early on, particularly against Sinner’s pace and intensity. “The first set was very good for him, a bit tough for me. I had to get used to his ball speed. It’s different when you play four matches, even if I played some great opponents,” he explained. “When I step on the court against him, I feel like I play great tennis, but it’s not enough.”

The second set offered more encouragement, but missed opportunities proved costly. “The second set was way better from my side. I had maybe some small chances, but I didn’t take them. There are a lot of things to talk about.”

Much of the post-match discussion centred on his serve, particularly a low first-serve percentage that left him under pressure throughout. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I was trying to figure it out on the court. First set, I don’t put any first serves, so maybe try to mix it, try some kick serves. I did it pretty well, and then at 4-4, I don’t know, it’s like all black in my head. I tried to go for an ace again and I’m like, ‘Arthur, are you stupid or what? Change something.’ But I don’t know. When it happens like this, it takes me too long to react and adapt.” Fils acknowledged the need to improve his in-match adjustments moving forward. “In the next matches, I hope it’s not going to happen, and if it does, I need to react quicker.”

Sinner’s aggressive return position also added to the pressure, though Fils felt his second serve held up relatively well. “Of course it makes more pressure when a guy steps in like that, especially him. But it didn’t really bother me on my second serve, that was quite okay,” he said. “It was more the first serve. I was trying to go for too much because I wanted easy points, but against the top, top players, easy points don’t come. I thought I was going to serve like in earlier rounds, hit some aces and use serve plus forehand, but today it didn’t happen.”

Despite the defeat, Fils remains positive about his recent progress, particularly his work with coach Goran Ivanisevic, who joined his team earlier this season. “We are doing a great job, I think, with Goran. He’s helping me a lot with his experience,” Fils said. “I also did a great job with Ivan over the last two years, and they are close friends, so it’s easy to work with both of them.”

He believes the new partnership is already having an impact on his perspective and development. “Since Goran arrived, I have another way to see things. It’s pretty good. In Barcelona and now in Madrid, we did a hell of a job. I’m very happy with that and I hope we keep going like this.”

After several months back on tour, Fils also highlighted his ability to learn quickly from experience. “I’m a quick learner. I can learn things pretty fast,” he said. “In Miami I said I was wasting too much energy, and then I came back in Barcelona and Madrid completely different.” While the loss to Sinner exposed areas for improvement, Fils leaves Madrid encouraged by both his progress and his ability to adapt, with lessons learned that could prove valuable in the tournaments ahead.