“Usually 5-0 down in a breaker you lose it”: Arthur Fils reflects on dramatic Indian Wells win

Arthur Fils continued his impressive return from injury by defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 7-6 to reach the quarterfinals of the 2026 BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells. The Frenchman has yet to drop a set in the tournament, having previously overcome Dino Prizmic before the Croatian retired and later defeating Marton Fucsovics in straight sets.

The victory also extends a strong recent run for the 30th seed. Fils has now won seven of his last eight matches and recently reached the final of the Qatar Open, where he finished runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets. The result confirms that the 19-year-old is quickly rediscovering his level after a lengthy injury absence.

Fils missed several months of competition between August 2025 and February 2026, creating uncertainty about how quickly he could return to top form. However, the Frenchman has adapted quickly since returning to the ATP Tour, combining improved physical condition with technical adjustments made during his recovery.

His latest victory at Indian Wells featured one of the most dramatic moments of the match when he recovered from a 5-0 deficit in a second-set tie-break to close out the win in straight sets.

The turning point came during that tie-break, when Fils trailed heavily and appeared on the verge of being pushed into a deciding set. A short exchange with his fitness coach helped reset his focus.

“Five-zero down, the small talk with Lapo, my fitness coach, he told me stop complaining and just play some tennis and be focused," explained Fils during his press conference. "From this moment I started to block everything around me and to be, like I said, tunnel vision, and just to see myself winning points and points and points.”

Fils admitted that coming back from such a deficit is extremely rare in professional tennis, particularly against an experienced opponent such as Auger-Aliassime. “Usually 5-0 down in a breaker you’re supposed to lose it, but today I managed to win it and I’m very happy.”

The Frenchman also acknowledged that emotional control remains an ongoing challenge as he continues developing his game at the highest level. “If I could have only one personality on court — very relaxed, calm and focused — I would sign. But with my personality I like to embrace the emotion. I like to celebrate sometimes, sometimes to get a bit mad.”

However, he believes key moments in matches require a different mindset. “When it gets to important moments, like a breaker or break points, it’s better to be very locked in and not really show your emotion — even positive emotion.”

Fils also revealed that the long period away from competition allowed him to make a technical change to his forehand. The adjustment focuses on shortening his backswing to handle faster rallies more effectively.

Previously, his larger swing generated significant power and spin but sometimes left him late on faster incoming shots. “Before I had a big preparation. With a big swing you can produce a lot of power and spin because of my grip, but when the guys play fast on the forehand it’s not easy. You can take the ball a bit behind.”

With the shorter swing, Fils said he now takes the ball earlier and maintains better positioning on court. “Now with the shorter swing I play much more the ball in front of me. Sometimes you feel like you lack a bit of power, but in my case it’s okay. I can still hit the ball pretty hard.”

The Frenchman admitted the lengthy recovery period created the opportunity to implement such changes. “I had eight months, so we had some time to change it.”

Beyond the technical adjustments, Fils said the biggest challenge during his absence was uncertainty about how he would perform once he returned to competition. “The points leave, they come back. Sometimes you win some matches, sometimes you lose some. The only pressure that I got was would I be able to come back to my level where I left.”

The Frenchman described how the recovery process required patience and a focus on internal progress rather than external comparisons. “Eight months is long. I didn’t touch a racquet for six months, so you start to think: how am I going to be after?” Ultimately, Fils believes the work done during that period is now paying off. “I just tried to focus on myself and my way to come back. I think we made a great job.”

Fils will next face fourth seed Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals. The German leads their head-to-head 4-2, setting up another significant test for the young Frenchman as he attempts to repeat last year’s run to the last eight at Indian Wells.