Arthur Fils just could not compete in the final of the Qatar Open against Carlos Alcaraz.
Fils was on the injury sidelines for six months until returning to the ATP Tour recently after overcoming back issues.
In just his third tournament back, Fils reached the final of the Qatar Open after beating the likes of Jakub Mensik and Jiri Lehecka.
Fils has been compared to Alcaraz before, but he was no match for the world number one in the final in Doha and he has now taken to social media.
Arthur Fils makes social media post after being thrashed by Carlos Alcaraz
Alcaraz thrashed Fils, 6-2 6-1, in the final of the Qatar Open which lasted just 50 minutes.
Due to the nature of his defeat, Fils actually apologized following his defeat to Alcaraz, as he remains winless after playing the Spaniard three times.
The Frenchman has taken to social media since his defeat to Alcaraz, as Fils reflected on reaching his first final since October 2024.
Fils wrote on Instagram, “A strong week in Doha. Back competing the way I expect from myself. The work is paying off and we’re just getting started.”
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The 21-year-old received many comments on his post, including from world number 15 and his friend Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
Fokina wrote, “Proud of you bro (love heart emoji),” to which Fils replied with a heart emoji of his own.
What will happen to Arthur Fils’ ranking after the Qatar Open?
Fils reached his career-high ranking of world number 14 last year, but after spending most of the season on the injury sidelines he dropped outside the top 40.
Beginning the week as the world number 40 in Doha, Fils is now confirmed to climb seven places up to world number 33.
This puts him on the brink of being seeded for Grand Slams and upcoming Masters 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami.
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Fils will look to continue his momentum at the Dubai Tennis Championships, where he has been drawn to play eighth seed Lehecka, who he beat in Doha, in the first round.
If he is able to overcome Lehecka, then Fils will face either Tomas Machac or Denis Shapovalov.
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