Tennis: Arthur Fils in the Laver Cup, necessarily a good idea?

Holder of a Master’s degree in sports journalism, I fell in love with tennis since childhood and have always loved reading the great stories of this sport. Today, I want to tell them about them, take full advantage of my passion and be as close as possible to the aces of the circuit.

Outside the top 250 at the very beginning of the year, Arthur Fils experienced astonishing progression the year he turned 19. The Frenchman, already number 3 in the rankings, is today the youngest player in the top 50 and inevitably, his exploits have been noticed almost everywhere on the circuit. A last-minute invitee for the 2023 Laver Cup, he even had the opportunity to speak on court, a dream opportunity to rub shoulders with some tennis champions and legends.

Praised a few weeks ago by John McEnroe, Arthur Son finds yourself thrown into a whole new world and all of this can be disturbing. The 19-year-old Frenchman still has a great opportunity to gain experience and show what he is capable of, but this could also end up being a disservice to him. For its premiere at the Making Cupwe cannot say that it was very successful in terms of results.

An undeniable talent

“It’s still pretty incredible” declared Arthur Son before rushing towards the Making Cup, a regular event reserved for the big names on the world circuit. Yes, but this year, there is more space than expected and, moreover, many are delighted with the arrival of the Frenchman among the elite. “He’s the player who’s coming up. He has a bright future ahead of him. It will be interesting to see him perform for the audience. Arthur can learn things from Gaël » told Björn Borgusually very discreet, a sign thatArthur Son showed something this year. Unfortunately, he had to lose in a singles match against Ben Shelton and in duplicate with Rublev facing the pair Paul/Driver.

Tennis: The staggered ATP calendar, soon the norm? https://t.co/XSdpX1yRJl pic.twitter.com/yRQdXOxgXY

— le10sport (@le10sport) September 21, 2023

A nugget that needs to be taken care of

Finalists of Roland-Garros among juniors in 2021 against Luca Van Assche, Arthur Son has continued to progress since the start of 2023. The Frenchman has this extraordinary potential and in addition, he has an impressive game which already pleases the public. “I have known Arthur Fils for a long time. I always told him that he felt free to call me, we had long discussions. All I want to do is protect him. I hope he will be even stronger than me, Tsonga, Gasquet and Simon” entrusts Gaël Monfils. In any case, it seems to be the first name to succeed.

A danger for your career?

Such an invitation at the very beginning of a career when it was not necessarily planned could put Arthur Son in danger. This is indeed the best way to get lost during a huge progression. “It necessarily moves into another dimension: expectations, the views of others… But what seems essential to me is not to get carried away, to continue working and to stay away from requests. The circuit is dotted with traps that can quickly change a player’s trajectory. There are still the hardest boxes to tick now” declared his coach Laurent Raymond pour The team. At the same time, it was difficult to refuse such an invitation…