AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 12, 2025

Arthur Fils

Press Conference

A. FILS/O. Virtanen

6-3, 6-7, 4-6, 4-6

THE MODERATOR: Arthur, congrats on your comeback. How do you feel after this victory after your first match?

ARTHUR FILS: Yeah, it was a tough match against a great opponent. One set down, serving for the second set. I was a bit tight. He was putting me under pressure, hitting very strong, playing very fast.

But I'm really happy about the way I dealed with the end of the second set. Then I started the third set pretty good to finish into the fourth good as well.

I'm really happy about the way I changed the things around.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Were you struggling for rhythm being the start of the year? You didn't play anything in December, tournament-wise, much of November. Only two matches in Hong Kong. Is there a difficulty at this time of year getting into your rhythm?

ARTHUR FILS: Yeah, of course. It's only the second tournament. Like you said, I played only two match in Hong Kong. Practice week after. So to find the rhythm is never easy, especially in a Grand Slam. First slam of the year. Everyone is playing great.

But you got to find a way. It's not easy, but you have to. Today I did it. Maybe Wednesday is going to be better.

Q. I feel like we keep seeing these matches where maybe two years ago you might not have won them, but you do something different in the tight moments, like at 4-5 in the second set today. What is going through your head? What do you now tell yourself in those moments and approach that in a way atmosphere different?

ARTHUR FILS: I stayed very calm during the match, you know? Even if, like you said, I was 5-4 down, I was very calm because I was feeling I was playing okay. Like I had great feelings on the court. I was just missing sometimes. I said to myself, Even if you are two set down, maybe you're going to have some occasion to win the serve and then we see.

If I'm losing my mind, for sure I don't have any more occasion. So the best thing is to stay very, very calm and to try the best and let's see.

Yeah, for sure, two years ago I would probably lose this one.

Q. This match has been held in Margaret Court Arena with roof. Other players were waiting for the rain to stop. So now you are in one of the main courts of a major on the first day. It's like you're getting a different status on the tennis world. Are you getting used to? How do you feel like a player who is playing on second court in a major?

ARTHUR FILS: It's pretty nice, man. First time in my life I'm playing on a good court. Actually I played in Wimbledon on Court 1.

It's one of the biggest court I play in a slam. So it's very nice. It's great to feel like this. To be able to play a match and to finish a match with a roof, it's much more easy than to play, to stop with the rain.

So, yeah, it's a nice treatment.

Q. In the ATP film you did last year, it showed a lot about your relationship with your dad.

ARTHUR FILS: Yeah.

Q. Can you explain how much he's helped you to be successful?

ARTHUR FILS: Yeah, I mean, I already said multiple times. Tennis, we travel alone. I went out of my home when I was 13 years old. I didn't see much my family. So now to travel with one member of my family, it's amazing. Especially my dad, of course, because we play tennis, we start to play tennis together.

Yeah, tennis is a lonely sport. Sometimes it's tough. I'm calling my family, but now I'm in Australia. They're in Paris. There is time difference. It's never easy to catch them.

So when there is my dad, at least I feel a little bit like home. It's very nice, and it's important for me.

Q. When you were younger, how much did he help you?

ARTHUR FILS: Oh, a lot. He teach me tennis basically. So from 5 years old until 12, I played a lot, a lot, a lot with him (smiling). We were doing, I don't know, four hours practice Saturday, five hours Sunday. It was massive, man (smiling).

Q. Another question about that film. When you're playing on these big stadiums, do you ever think back to that derelict court that you were filmed on and think, Wow, one extreme to another?

ARTHUR FILS: Now I'm thinking about it (smiling).

Yeah, it's unbelievable. We start on the court, it was disaster. Never seen court like this. But when you start on it, you feel it's normal. Then you go on the biggest stage of the world, you're like, Okay, that's a great court.

If you ask me now to play again on the small court in my hometown, I think I can't. So, yeah, it's a good progress. I'm really, really happy about it.