Arthur Fils admits he was taken aback by Jannik Sinner’s level after Madrid loss

Arthur Fils was the focus heading into the Madrid Open semi-final, with hopes high that he could give Jannik Sinner a real challenge.

But even with his strong play on clay, Fils couldn’t keep up with the world number one, who took care of business in straight sets without much trouble.

There’s been growing talk around Fils being the next player to close the gap between the top two and everyone else, but recent results against Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz suggest there’s still work to be done.

Afterwards, Fils spoke about just what makes it so difficult to keep up with a player at Sinner’s level.

Arthur Fils offers honest assessment after defeat to Sinner in Madrid Open semi-final

After the match, Fils was asked what stood out most about playing Sinner. He replied with a smile: “My serve.” The numbers backed that up, as he managed just 49% of first serves in and won only 45% of points on his second serve.

The stats supported his view – he landed just 49% of his first serves and won only 45% of points behind his second.

Fils gave credit to Sinner’s game, saying: “He’s a great champion. He hasn’t lost a match since Indian Wells, I think. He’s full of confidence, hitting cleanly from both sides and serving well.”

“The first set was really good for him, tough for me. I had to adjust to his ball speed; it’s different over a full match,” Fils said.

He went on:

“The second set was much better from my side. I had more chances but couldn’t take them. There are plenty of things to look at.”

Soon after the game finished though, it wasn’t anything that Arthur Fils did wrong or any errors made by Jannik Sinner which became clear.

Sinner awaits Zverev or Blockx in Madrid Open final

With his semi-final wrapped up, Sinner had time to sit back and watch the other match between Alexander Zverev and Alexander Blockx.

There weren’t many surprises, with Zverev easing past Blockx to set up yet another Masters 1000 clash with Sinner – their fifth in a row at this level.

Zverev has lost all four of those meetings, and he hasn’t beaten Sinner since 2023 – a streak that’s now stretched to eight matches.

Even so, this is still a big opportunity for Zverev. He’s played three major finals and has two titles already in Madrid.

But stopping Sinner right now looks like one of the toughest tasks in tennis. If anyone can rise to the occasion though, it’s Zverev, given his record here.

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