A new milestone and above all an opportunity

Sinner is that notch above the rest of the tour along with Alcaraz, that’s where you set the bar for a tour-level player, but Fils wants to break into that very exclusive circle

Since his return, Fils has been playing at an easy top-10 level, I even think he’s playing at a top-5 level and more if things click... His new way of managing matches and tournaments, combined with his extremely high level of play, simply makes him one of the best players on the tour. He’s putting together a tournament similar to Barcelona, where he gradually raised his level before finishing strong; here it’s even clearer, with a level that keeps rising, and now that he’s found his bearings in these conditions he can fully play his tennis. The ultimate test this week is called Sinner, and if Arthur plays well again, then he’ll have his chances.

Sinner also had to find his footing in this tournament; it’s not easy to control the ball and impose his power without making errors. It’s been going so much better in the last few matches, but I don’t get the feeling this is prime Sinner in this kind of tournament, it doesn’t really mesh that well with his game. On the other hand, even like this he’s better than 98% of the tour, and it will take a magical Fils to trouble him. In terms of match-up, I think we have an Arthur strong enough from the baseline and solid in his defensive game to absorb and then send the pace back at him; he has enough power to do damage and physically he’s still at the top of his game this week. Sinner can rely on pinpoint serving that bails him out at the right moments and on managing his dips in form better than average. The Italian is still a player who hasn’t lost more than about ten matches a season for the last three seasons—will this one be part of that list?