Change of opponent

Fils takes advantage of Vacherot’s withdrawal to get a different first-round opponent—does he come out ahead?

There’s a debate! Nakashima or Atmane? Atmane looks fitter and more dangerous on a good day, he’s capable of raising his level of play very high, but his lows are very low too, whereas Nakashima is consistent. What suits Fils better? I’d say it’s pretty balanced, Arthur is comfortable against lefties, his backhand is strong enough to hold up, and the forehand crosscourt into the opponent’s backhand wins 95% of the time. Where I agree is that facing Atmane in a first round when you’re not fully tuned in/relaxed yet can become tricky, Atmane can dictate play and impose his sometimes choppy rhythm.

That’s pretty much the only argument I have in his favor because on clay he’s still very limited and he can’t get away with it in clutch mode like he said after his loss to Etcheverry. On clay you have to be disciplined and serious from the first to the last point, that’s one of his issues even if in 2026 he’s made big progress on that part of his game. Once again, this match almost only depends on Fils: given the level he’s shown and his qualities on clay, he’s supposed to get the win without too much trouble.