Winner for his entry into the Australian Open against the Finnish Otto Virtanen, the French n°2 was satisfied with having kept his composure when he was behind.
Winner on Sunday for his entry into the running at the Australian Open despite the loss of the first set against the Finn Otto Virtanen (92nd in the world), the French No.2 Arthur Fils (20th) was satisfied with having preserved his blood. cold when carried.
Despite the pressure inherent in a match played on the Margaret Court Arena, one of the main courts in Melbourne, “I remained very calm,” assured the 20-year-old right-hander at a press conference.
Trailing 5-4 with a break late in the second set, Fils said he was “very happy with the way (he) turned things around” rather than “panicking”.
“I told myself I was going to get some chances eventually. If I had panicked, I certainly would not have had a single opportunity to regain the upper hand.
“The best thing I could do was stay super calm, do my best and see what happens. It’s clear that two years ago, I would probably have lost this match,” explained the Frenchman, ultimately winning 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4, 6-4.
In Grand Slam, “all the matches are complicated”, underlined the one who reached the round of 16 at Wimbledon in 2024.
“It’s never easy to find your rhythm, especially during the first Grand Slam of the year,” he added.
And being seeded (N.20) does not “necessarily” make things easier, even if such a status theoretically prevents its holder from facing top players in the first round.
“Today (Sunday), on paper it should have been an easy match. In the end, I found myself doing four sets, it wasn’t that easy. So the top seed doesn’t change much,” judged Fils.
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