Match Reaction
Fils’ Sinner reality check: ‘Great tennis isn’t enough’
Italian defeated Frenchman 6-2, 6-4
May 01, 2026
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Jannik Sinner and Arthur Fils embrace following their Madrid semi-final on Friday.
By Sam Jacot
World No. 1 Jannik Sinner ended Arthur Fils’ nine-match winning streak on Friday afternoon at the Mutua Madrid Open. Afterward, the Frenchman revealed why it is so difficult to overcome the Italian, who is now just one victory from becoming the first player to capture five consecutive ATP Masters 1000 crowns in series history (since 1990).
“He’s a great champion,” Fils said of Sinner in his post-match press conference. “He hasn’t lost one match since Indian Wells. He’s playing great, a lot of confidence. He hit the ball pretty clean from both sides, and he was serving very well.
“The first set was very good for him and a bit tough for me. I had to get used to his ball speed. It’s different when you play for a full match. I played some great, great opponents, but it’s still different [against Sinner]. When I’m stepping on the court against him, I feel like I play great tennis, but it’s not enough.”
Fils struggled to impact Sinner on serve throughout the 87-minute clash, highlighting the 24-year-old’s aggressive return position as a factor. The 21-year-old made just 49 per cent of his first serves and was broken three times.
“It puts more pressure on when the guy steps in,” Fils said. “It depends on the guy, but [Sinner] especially. It didn’t really bother me on my second serve. That was quite OK. It was more the first serve. The second serve he was stepping in, but I was not hitting double faults. It was just the first serve. I was trying to go for too much because I wanted to have easy points. Against those players, the top, top, top, best players in the world, easy points are not coming.”
Fils has jumped eight spots to No. 17 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings after reaching his second Masters 1000 semi-final. The former World No. 14 last year suffered a back injury, which kept him out for eight months before returning to action in Montpellier in February.
Fils has since lifted the trophy in Barcelona, reached the final in Doha, semi-finals in Miami and quarter-finals in Indian Wells. The four-time titlist praised coaches Ivan Cinkus and Goran Ivanisevic.
“We are doing a great job. I think with Goran, he’s helping me a lot with his experience,” Fils said of the Croatian, who joined the team at the start of this year. “I did one hell of a job with Ivan [Cinkus] as well, and they are close friends, so it’s pretty easy to work with both of them. Since Goran arrived, I have another way to see things. It’s pretty good. I’m working very good with them both.”
Sinner leads Fils 2-0 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series. Their previous meeting was in Montpellier in 2023.
