Arthur Fils answers whether he can break the Sinner-Alcaraz duopoly as Mouratoglou weighs in
Arthur Fils believes he is ‘back’ and could ‘one day’ challenge the dominance of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, with Patrick Mouratoglou also backing the Frenchman’s chances.
Fils made a strong return to title-winning form at the Barcelona Open, beating second seed Lorenzo Musetti and fifth seed Andrey Rublev to lift his first trophy in 18 months.
The Frenchman overcame the Russian 6-2, 7-6(2) and cemented his return to the world’s top 25 (currently occupying the world No 23 spot in the Live ATP Rankings).
2025 was marred by injury after suffering a back stress fracture during his second-round victory over Jaume Munar at the French Open.
Fils was forced to skip the grass-court season, making only a brief appearance at the Masters 1000 event in Canada before withdrawing for the remainder of the year, including the latest edition of the Australian Open.
He returned to the tour in February, immediately reaching the final in Doha before impressing with a quarter-final run at Indian Wells and a semi-final showing in Miami.
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Despite the success throughout 2026, the world No 25 believes that he can ‘improve in every area’ and remains humble about whether he can compete with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who you can back on sports betting apps for tennis.
The pair have won all of the nine most recent Grand Slams and hold a rankings lead of 7705 over world No 3, Alexander Zverev.
“I don’t know [if I can consistently beat them],” remarked Fils during his post-match press conference.
“The last time I played Carlos, he dominated me.
I have to stay humble, follow my path, and focus on improving my ranking. They are great champions and, right now, I can’t compare myself to them. Maybe one day – but not yet.”
Indeed, Alcaraz holds a 3-0 lead in their head-to-head and deconstructed Fils 6-2, 6-1 in the final of the Qatar Open.
The Frenchman’s sole meeting against Sinner came at the 2023 edition of Montpellier, losing 7-5, 6-2 to the current world No 1.
When asked what ending his 18-month title drought meant to him, Fils struck an optimistic tone, insisting he is ‘back’ while acknowledging there is still room for improvement.
“It means I’m back,” boasted the newly-crowned Barcelona champion.
“It had been a year and a half since I last won a title, so to come back and win one like this feels very good. It’s nice to reach quarter-finals or semi-finals, but winning is what matters.
“I can improve in every area. I felt good – I moved well, hit well, and served quite well, although I can still do better. Now I’m going to Madrid, a tournament where I haven’t had much success, but I’ll give it my best.
“Then there are tournaments I really like, like Rome, Hamburg, and Roland Garros. I enjoy playing in these conditions.”
As he mentioned, Fils is next set to compete at the Madrid Masters, held from April 22 to May 3, where he will open his campaign against either Adrian Mannarino or Ignacio Buse.
Shortly following the Barcelona Open showpiece match, Mouratoglou – a former coach of Serena Williams, Holger Rune, Simona Halep, and Stefanos Tsitsipas – gave his insight into the Frenchman’s potential.
“If you’re looking for a third guy between Alcaraz and Sinner, I think what Arthur Fils has shown these last weeks puts him 100% into the conversation,” the French coach remarked during his Instagram video.
“Arthur is super, super charismatic. It’s very difficult to come back from a long injury. And after he got injured, he lost six kilos. And he’s flying on the court.
“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. I’ll be stronger than I was.’
“It’s an incredible mindset. I always say the best players in the world enjoy the process more than the results.”
