Alexander Zverev believes Arthur Fils has the “power” to match the likes of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in a glowing assessment of the rising French star.
World No 3 Zverev saw off Fils in an entertaining contest on Thursday, battling past the 20-year-old 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 at the Paris Masters.
It was not the first time the two-time major finalist and rising star Fils had battled it out in 2024, with the German edging a three-set encounter in Halle before the Frenchman prevailed in the Hamburg final.
Fils has surged to 20th in the ATP Rankings and has been tipped by many to be a future star of the sport, and now Zverev has joined those praising the Parisian.
“He undoubtedly has the game [to reach the Top 10],” said Zverev, in quotes reported by The Team.
“He has incredible power, like very few players have. Maybe Sinner, Alcaraz, me when I play well. Otherwise I don’t see who else has such power.
“It’s a question of development, of exploiting his potential. I think he can even be better than the top 10.”
Adding to Zverev’s praise was former world No 3 and Roger Federer’s ex-coach Ivan Ljubicic, who now works as part of the French Tennis Federation.
The Croatian praised Fils’ improved focus and serve, in a season that has seen him win two ATP 500 titles – in Hamburg and Tokyo.
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Ljubicic commented: “The season has been super positive.
“He has made a lot of progress, particularly in his ability to stay focused and not panic in the hot moments. If we look at Arthur Fils from last year and Arthur Fils from this year, that’s the main difference.
“The serve is probably where he has progressed the most. But he has also progressed a lot in his understanding of how to win a very high-level match: when to hit, when to attack, when to defend, when to play.”
Fils is currently at his career-high ranking and will likely end the season inside the top 20, barring any late surges at the Paris Masters, or in Metz and Belgrade next week.
Speaking after his loss to Zverev brought about the end of his season, the 20-year-old claimed he could have “done better” despite a positive season.
Fils added: “A positive year, a great year.
“I could have done better, I wanted to do better but given my start to the season, I did not expect to finish the year with two 500s and my best ranking.”
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