Quentin Lecointe, Media365, published on Thursday October 31, 2024 at 8:37 p.m.
Eliminated in the round of 16 of the Rolex Paris Masters by Alexander Zverev (6-4, 3-6, 6-3), Arthur Fils expressed his regrets, even if he took some positives from this defeat.
Beaten by Alexander Zverev despite a tight score (6-4, 3-6, 6-3), Arthur Fils was not able to turn the key moments of the match in his favor. After the match, the Frenchman confided his regrets at not having better negotiated the end of the first set where he was broken when the score was four games all: “It was a bit of a complicated match. During the first set, I felt like I managed my service games pretty well and put him in danger on his serve. Unfortunately, I played a really bad game with four players everywhere. I believe that in the game, there is a double fault, a lot of unforced errors. It’s a shame not to take this first set because if I go to a zero set, it’s obviously a little different. »
Zverev’s serve hurt him
Author of sixteen aces during this match, Zverev can rely on his serve to make the difference on a fast surface like that of the Rolex Paris Masters this year. Fils tried to explain why the German’s serve is particularly disturbing: “He’s very big. It comes down very loud and clear. It has all the zones. So, you try to anticipate a little, to understand what he does, but it’s certain that indoors, it’s different than on clay. If you’re not in the path of the ball, you can’t return, that’s for sure. Even if you’re on it, it’s pretty hard to control. »
An encouraging defeat
Despite this elimination, always difficult to take, Fils tried to see positive elements after this exit in the round of 16: “Encouraging defeat, I don’t really know. We have to try to take something positive from it. I know I’ve been playing quite a bit for four or five months. I can worry very good players. I can start looking for titles. Encouraging, yes, but it hurts. I think that the harder a defeat is to take, the better because it will help me in the future. »
