Scream his name! Arthur Fils raring for return in Toronto

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Scream his name! Fils raring for return in Toronto

Frenchman discusses first tournament since back injury

Andrew Eichenholz/ATP Tour Arthur Fils is competing for the first time since Roland Garros. By Andrew Eichenholz

The last time Arthur Fils competed, he suffered heartbreak. The Frenchman was at a career-high No. 14 in the PIF ATP Rankings at his home Grand Slam tournament, Roland Garros, but was forced to withdraw after his second-round victory due to a stress fracture in his back.

Now, a returning Fils is hoping to rediscover his game at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers.

“It’s pretty nice. It’s been a long time [that] I didn’t see [my] friends on the Tour, so now I am happy to be back,” Fils told ATPTour.com. “Of course, it changed a lot since two months. I was in shape, I was playing pretty good. Now I’m coming back, still in shape, but not playing good. But it’s pretty nice to be back and I’m enjoying [it].”

Players are used to being around their rivals each week and spending time not only across the net, but off the court, so it was different to be on the sidelines since the clay-court major.

“When I’m not there, I have another life, of course. I have friends from my hometown, my family and everything,” Fils said. “But when I step back into the Tour it’s always nice to see some familiar faces like Gael or Ben, or Foki. It’s nice to be back and to see these guys.”

The 21-year-old is still finding his footing, having begun his on-court work less than two weeks ago. He knows it might take time to reach his best level again.

“When I stepped on the court, I was excited. After five minutes, I was already mad,” Fils said, cracking a laugh. “But it’s nice to be back to playing. It’s been 10 days now that I've been playing. I feel that the level is going better and better day after day. So, I’m pretty happy.”

Fils owns a 21-10 record this season according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index and will be keen to improve that in Toronto. The Frenchman advanced to the quarter-finals at the first two hard-court ATP Masters 1000 events of the year at Indian Wells and Miami, and will try to maintain that consistency beginning with his second-round clash against former Top 10 star Pablo Carreno Busta.

For now, Fils is not fully focused on results. It is also about the process and the experience.

“Just competing again. Just to step on the court,” Fils said. “People screaming my name and me trying to play my best tennis or at least just enjoy my time on the court.”

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