Arthur Fils has just won the biggest title of his young career thus far, beating hometown hero Alexander Zverev in a hotly-contested final in Hamburg.
Having won the first set with relative ease, the German fought back to win the second, sending them to a third-set decider.
It was incredibly tight, and despite the 27-year-old bringing up a whopping 22 break points, Fils relinquished just once to take it to a match-deciding tiebreak, which he would win.
Zverev’s injury concerns were a worry ahead of this tournament, but in reaching the final has dispelled any worries. However, Zverev’s frustrated exchange at the net with Fils outlined how he felt about such a cheeky effort given his hampered state.
However, it was what the Frenchman did to try and save one of those break points that truly had fans stunned and has dominated headlines.
Tennis fans react to what Arthur Fils did vs Alexander Zverev
Fils is a fine athlete and a hugely promising talent, with big things expected from the man who finished as a runner-up in the Roland Garros boys’ singles tournament as recently as 2021.
However, now well and truly cemented on the senior pro circuit, last year marked his first ATP title, won in Lyon to much fanfare.
There has been steady improvement from the youngster, whose powerful brand of tennis has been likened to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga’s.
But, he did something completely uncharacteristic yesterday, straying from that all-action style to throw in an underarm serve whilst 30-40 down and the scores and 5-5 in the third set.
Only narrowly called out, fans have since rushed to respond to such an audacious effort that was booed by the home crowd.
One fan could not believe what he had witnessed throughout the entire clash, claiming: ‘Match Of The Year. Astonishing.’
Another wrote: ‘I never understand why the crowd boos this. Happens every time a player tries it. It’s smart if a player is consistently returning 15ft behind the baseline.’
Arthur Fils is building up towards greatness
Having endured a really tough start to 2024, despite all the promise and hype he was garnering, it feels like now we are starting to get glimpses of the truly exceptional talent that tennis has on its hands.
The 6 foot 1 Frenchman kickstarted his year with a semi-final in Brisbane, before being dumped out of the Australian Open in just the second round.
A disappointing return, things got even worse as he failed to win more than two matches in a row for a run that extended into May, when he recognised his form had been faltering and he dropped down into the Bordeaux Challenger.
Winning that event, things have taken a turn since then despite a first-round exit at the French Open, having reached the quarter-finals in Halle, the Round of 16 at Wimbledon, and now won the title in Hamburg, his first ATP 500 triumph.
Now, with the Olympics just around the corner before the US Open rolls into town, Fils has a fine chance to build on his steady progression and end 2024 with a bang.
Big things are still expected of this 20-year-old powerhouse.
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