Arthur Fils continued what is shaping up to be one of the best comeback stories tennis has seen in recent memory by capturing a fourth ATP title at the Barcelona Open.
Fils missed the second half of the 2025 season, sidelined with a back injury, having sustained a stress fracture during Roland Garros.
The Frenchman returned to action in February this year, and quickly found form by making the final of the Qatar Open, the quarterfinals of Indian Wells and the semifinals in Miami.
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Then, kicking off his clay-swing in Barcelona, Fils went all the way at the ATP 500 event, beating Andrey Rublev in the final to hoist his first tour-level trophy since 2024.
For a while now, the 21-year-old has been tipped to compete for the biggest titles, and now Serena Williams’ former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, thinks he is capable of joining Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in a new ‘big three’.
Patrick Mouratoglou gives high praise to Arthur Fils after triumph
In a post on Instagram, Mouratoglou said: “If you’re looking for a name to be the third guy between Alcaraz and Sinner, think what Arthur Fils has shown these last weeks puts him 100% into the conversation.
“Arthur is super, super charismatic. It’s very difficult to come back from a long injury, and after he got injured, he lost six kilos, and he’s flying on the court.
“He is different because he’s lighter. Most of the players, when they are injured, it’s the worst period of their lives.
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“To be able to enjoy all the recovery process, putting in the work and thinking every single day, I’m going to come back and be stronger than I was, is an incredible mindset.
“I always say the best players in the world enjoy the process more than the results.”
Arthur Fils’ results at Grand Slams over the years
Fils has been impressive on the ATP Tour, but the young star has yet to announce himself on the Grand Slam scene.
The world number 25 has made nine appearances at majors, with his best result being a fourth-round finish .
He made the fourth round of Wimbledon in 2024, but ultimately bowed out to Alex de Minaur in four sets.
Last season, Fils reached the third round at both the Australian Open and Roland Garros, though his French Open run was cut short due to the back injury.
Fils was not able to feature in Melbourne earlier this year, but is now in great form ahead of the second Grand Slam of the season in Paris.
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