Arthur Fils is in the midst of one of the best runs of his fledgling career on the ATP Tour. The Frenchman celebrated his first title on the tour in 18 months on Sunday as he won the Barcelona Open.
Now, Patrick Mouratoglou has backed the 21-year-old to reach even greater heights.
Patrick Mouratoglou Believes Arthur Fils Can Challenge Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have been on a completely different level than the rest of the ATP Tour over the last 18 months. But Mouratoglou believes that Fils has what it takes to form the next ‘Big 3’ in tennis alongside the world’s two top-ranked players.
“If you’re looking for a name to be the third guy between Alcaraz and Sinner, I think what Arthur Fils has shown these last [few] weeks, puts him 100% into the conversation,” Mouratoglou said on his latest Instagram vlog.
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The former coach of Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka also hailed the way his compatriot used his injury rehab to come back as a much stronger player. Fils was sidelined with a back stress fracture for several months last year. The injury first appeared at the French Open, and he was forced to miss the next three Grand Slams.
“Arthur is super charismatic. After he got injured, he lost six kilos and he’s flying on the courts. He’s different because he’s lighter. Most of the players when they are injured, it’s the worst period of their life. To be able to enjoy all the recovery process, putting in the work and thinking every single day, ‘I’m going to come back and be stronger than I was’ is an incredible mindset. I always say that the best players in the world enjoy the process more than the results,” he added.
Fils delayed the start of his 2026 season due to his ongoing recovery, missing the Australian Open before returning to the tour in February. He found his form in Doha, where he lost to Alcaraz in the final. Another quarterfinal appearance followed at Indian Wells, before he made the semifinals in Miami.
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At the Barcelona Open, Fils made a slow start but quickly found his footing and defeated Lorenzo Musetti, Rafael Jódar, and Andrey Rublev to win the ATP 500 tournament.
Having now won his fourth title on the ATP Tour, Fils is up to 25th in the ATP Rankings. He will look to kick on and continue his strong run of form in the lead-up to the French Open, where he could be a real force backed by the home crowd.
