Everything went very quickly this year for Arthur Fils. The young French player, who has exploded in recent months to establish himself among the top 50 in the world at 19, has caught the eye well beyond the borders of French tennis. Latest mark of recognition, his selection for the Laver Cup within the European team. In Vancouver, he played singles and doubles and discovered people and a world that were previously unknown to him.
The winner of the Lyon tournament was obviously flattered by this invitation, even if his coach Laurent Raymond, guest of Eurosport on Tuesday in Dip Impact, admits to having hesitated before saying yes. It would have been a shame, he himself admits. “We thought a lot before making this decision, but now that it’s done, I don’t regret it at all, because it’s really a great experience,” he admitted in our podcast while he had just gotten off the plane since he accompanied his foal to Canada.
Borg, and crush
“First of all, it’s not an exhibition,” says the French technician. “I had put that into my head a little bit but in fact, it’s really a winner between Europe and the United States (sic) . It was above all a way for him to rub shoulders with the best. He has only played 16 tournaments on the big circuit today so there are players he has not even met yet. Training all the days with them, interacting with them, working with them on a daily basis, it was a great experience for him.”
The Laver Cup is also an opportunity to rub shoulders with legends of the game. From the past. Very recent or more distant. Starting with Roger Federer, now retired but a big man in this event. But the Swiss has a ministerial agenda during the Laver Cup weekend. According to Laurent Raymond, Arthur Fils simply “ran into him and he chatted a little.” A longer meeting was planned but could not take place. “As you can imagine, he has an extremely busy schedule. It was planned for Arthur to talk with him. But it’s only a postponement.”
On the other hand, with Björn Borg, captain of the European team, the contact was more fruitful. According to Son’s coach, it was indeed the Swedish myth that insisted that the great French hope be selected for this Laver Cup. “We organized a breakfast meeting between Arthur and Björn Borg,” Raymond tells us. “The four of us met by chance, Arthur, me, Björn and a friend of his on the last day. At the end of the discussion, Björn offered to help Arthur, to give him his phone number, to pass on things to him, so I jumped at the chance. These are incredible opportunities. It’s something extraordinary. ”
Björn Borg and the entire European team around Arthur Fils during the 2023 Laver Cup.
Credit: Imago
We know that the hardest part remains to be done
All these things slip a little on Arthur Son, not the type to open the big eyes of a little boy in all this barnum. “A bit like always, he takes things as they come,” summarizes his coach. “He respects, obviously. He’s someone who respects a lot. But he doesn’t let himself be impressed either. He takes in the information.” This weekend in British Columbia helped him, according to him, to desecrate the world’s top level a little.
Björn Borg, for his part, was able to observe, in a few days, the change of the youngest member of his team. “Björn told me, ‘The first day, he didn’t talk too much. We didn’t hear him too much. He listened,’ continues Laurent Raymond. Then from the 2nd day, there was a progression in his way of gaining confidence within the group, to speak, to express oneself. It shows that it goes very quickly.’ Indeed, it corresponds a bit to what happened this season, where things are going very quickly for him.
More than a great recreation, this passage in the Laver Cup, which was obviously not an end in itself for the French tandem, therefore allowed Arthur Fils to gain some form of experience and information. But there is no risk of it turning his head, promises his trainer. “We know that the hardest part remains to be done,” he told us. “In this regard, we must remain extremely vigilant, keep things fluid, keep our heads on our shoulders and remain calm.”
Andrey Rublev Arthur Fils
Credit: Getty Images
2023-09-26 20:00:43
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