World No. 18 Arthur Fils shared his emotions after his victory over Alexander Zverev in the Miami Masters quarter-finals, with a score of 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. The French player revealed that he was experiencing back problems during the match.
“It`s been a tough series of tournaments since Dubai, with many matches. I haven`t been feeling my best in rallies, and my back problems, which I`ve had since childhood and sometimes worsen, have been bothering me. Because of this, I had to play more aggressively, step into the court, and prevent him from dictating the play. When he`s allowed to play his game, he`s one of the best in the world.”
“I`m very pleased with how I managed to execute this strategy. In the third set, I thought it was all over when he was leading 3-1 and serving incredibly well. But I told myself, `Don`t get frustrated, try to fight. If you can get a break, that would be fantastic.` And that`s exactly what happened. It was wonderful,” Fils said in his on-court interview.
Rupert Hartwell