Arthur Fils after his Cincinnati title win: “It’s so easy to criticize”
After winning his first Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati, Arthur Fils address about the criticism he has received since he becoming a top-level player. He said he is proud of the success, but he does not see the title as the end of his career journey. Instead, he believes it is just the beginning of bigger things to come.
“Let’s go back to the words you wrote on the camera after your win (“Who’s gonna talk now???”) . In France, some people prefer to focus on failures rather than celebrate the successes. You haven’t spoken about it yet, but it seems to affect you also .
To say it affects me is a bit of an exaggeration. But it’s certainly never pleasant when you come across it. But, actually, But i use it as motivation. When things get tough, I tell myself I have no choice. What I do, I do for myself, and for my team, but also to show them that they’re wrong. It’s so easy to criticize. When I didn’t play at Roland-Garros or when I lost in the first round in Washington, it was as if I’d forgotten how to play tennis, that is according to some people out there.”
Next to you is your first Masters 1000 cup. After winning 250s and 500s, it’s a logical progression. But it’s just one step, isn’t it?
I’ve always told my team that I’d like to win my tournaments in every category.
At the end of my career, maybe…
(Laughs) Yes, that’s it, I’ll go back at the end. More seriously, I’m going to try to work even more harder to try and win bigger titles for myself and my team, if I can. And I know it won’t be easy. And as for the Masters 1000s, I certainly hope not to win just only one.
Yes, I agree. I understood quite a few things thanks to that injury time. It certainly hurt me a lot. But all my loved ones encouraged me to come back stronger, to approach games in a slightly different way. To try to be more thoughtful, to make the right decisions, to make sacrifices. To not play like a child, in fact. And now, we can see that this work is paying off. But it’s only the beginning. This title isn’t an end in itself, but it’s not bad.
