Everything changed so fast

For his return to competition in the Montpellier tournament, it was just too early for Fils to be competitive enough against FAA, but this time...

This time the Frenchman is capable of doing it, his comeback went really well and he’s coming for revenge. What he’s been doing since he returned is monstrous; I easily put him in the top 10, he’s so strong and complete. In the first tournaments he was just missing the physical engine, but the level was already there. You can see that with the matches piling up he quickly got back to the top. Where I saw Felix as way too strong in Montpellier, I think our Frenchman has a real shot this time and for several reasons: first, the physical side, as I just said — he can now handle three tough sets and he’s had two quick matches, so he can battle for 3 hours tomorrow if needed. The second reason is his level of play: it’s like he’s gained five years of maturity on court, he rushes less and leans on his physical strengths while still absolutely crushing the ball on the forehand side. He’s playing at a top-10 level every day.

I’ll add one more small reason: the conditions. This time it’s not indoors, where Felix plays his best tennis. Outdoors he gives away a few more points since things are less “perfect.” That’s what we saw against Diallo in the previous round with a few double faults and a pretty average first set, something he almost never does indoors. Outdoors he’s more prone to dips in level. I don’t want to put him down either because he’s still showing huge consistency from one tournament to the next, and he’s also playing at a top-10 level. He’s dropped a set in each of the first two rounds, but against guys who played really well too, and I feel Arthur is capable of doing the same to him.

All these little factors mean we really shouldn’t get the same kind of match as in their meeting in Montpellier. I was totally fine with making Felix a huge favorite there, but this time Fils is back to his best level in every area and should be able to compete.