Arthur Fils has continued his impressive comeback after winning the Barcelona Open, but Goran Ivanisevic had some criticism for him after the final.
Fils was out with a back injury for seven months before returning in February, and he has already won his fourth ATP title in Barcelona, alongside reaching the semifinals of the Miami Open, quarterfinals in Indian Wells and the Qatar Open final.
The Frenchman won the Barcelona Open title by beating Andrey Rublev 6-2, 7-6(2) in the final, but it was far from straightforward.
Fils failed to serve for the match at 5-3 in the second set, and he also had three match points at 5-4 that he was unable to convert, and after the match he revealed that his coach Goran Ivanisevic had some words to say about this.
What Goran Ivanisevic told Arthur Fils after winning the Barcelona Open
Former Wimbledon champion Ivanisevic has been part of Fils’ team since February, assisting his main coach Ivan Cinkus.
Fils was broken in the first game of the final, but he held serve in every game after that until serving for the match against Rublev.
When asked about this in his post-match press conference, Fils admitted that he was surprised that this happened to him and revealed that Ivanisevic joked it was one of the worst games he had ever seen on the ATP Tour.
“It’s crazy, actually, but I didn’t really see it coming,” said Fils, as reported by L’Equipe. “Because throughout the match, I was pretty much in control and playing quite well. Tactically, I was doing everything right and putting in a lot of intensity.
“Then we changed balls, 6-2-5-3, new balls. And that’s when you’re supposed to control the ball a bit more. When you tense up a little, that’s when you can make even more mistakes.
“I played a game at 5-3 where I must have made four errors; I don’t even remember them. Goran told me it was perhaps the worst game he’d seen on the ATP Tour. He might be right (smiles).”
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Fils continued, “Then at 5-4, not much to say. I was up 15-40 on his serve, I was playing a good game, and maybe at 30-40, instead of hitting a slice return like I used to do when I was 10, maybe I could have just hit the ball…But oh well, it’s not a big deal, it wasn’t the end of the world.
“I just had to stay calm. I had to stay composed: if we were going to a third set, we would go to a third set. But of course, in those situations, it’s very difficult to maintain the same attitude and mindset because you start thinking, ‘Oh, I’m going to win’.
“The best thing is to live in the moment, you know? Don’t look ahead. I think I did look ahead, and that’s why I got broken and played some mediocre games. But that’s normal, I still need to gain experience in that area.”
Arthur Fils says if winning the Barcelona is the best week of his career so far
This is Fils’ third title at ATP 500 level, but his first since returning to the tour from his back injury.
When asked if the Barcelona Open was the best week of his career so far, Fils actually picked his title win at the Japan Open, where he saved a championship point in the final, instead.
“No, no,” responded Fils. “It’s been a very good week, very positive and very enjoyable. But if I had to choose just one, I’d say maybe my week in Tokyo, where I played really well and won some crazy matches.
“But it’s true that this week has perhaps been one of the weeks where I’ve been the most focused on the court. That’s probably why I won.”
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Fils will now remain in Spain for the Madrid Open, where he will be the 21st seed.
The main draw of the men’s singles tournament in Madrid begins on Wednesday, April 22, but Fils will not play his first match until at least Friday after receiving a bye.
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