![\"Arthur](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/fils-feature-feb-2026-return.jpg\")
<\/p>\n Player Features
\n Fils reflects on long road back: ‘It was very mental’<\/p>\n
Frenchman was sidelined for eight months with a back injury<\/p>\n
February 09, 2026<\/p>\n
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ATP Tour<\/p>\n
Arthur Fils is in action this week at the ATP 500 event in Rotterdam.
\n By Sam Jacot<\/p>\n
Arthur Fils<\/a>\u2019 smile said it all in Rotterdam.<\/p>\n After months of rehab, doubt and patience-testing days away from the Tour following a stress fracture in his lower back, the Frenchman is back where he belongs and ready to compete, chase wins and feel the buzz of the sport once again.<\/p>\n \u201cIt has been a very, very long time, about eight months really, so I am just so pleased to be back,\u201d Fils told ATPTour.com. \u201cIt feels so good. To feel the excitement again, the crowd, the atmosphere. I am ready.\u201d<\/p>\n Fils\u2019 injury troubles began during the 2025 clay season, when he suffered a back stress fracture at Roland Garros<\/a> in May. The issue forced him to withdraw from his home major ahead of the third round and miss the grass swing entirely. He returned briefly at the start of August in Toronto, where he played two matches and earned one win, but the comeback proved premature.<\/p>\n The 21-year-old’s back was not ready for the demands of the Tour and another extended spell on the sidelines followed before he finally made his return at the ATP 250 event in Montpellier last week, reaching the quarter-finals.<\/p>\n For a player used to building rhythm through matches, the months away were especially difficult. The physical rehab was demanding, but the mental challenge of being absent and watching others compete proved even tougher.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was very mental, to be honest,\u201d Fils said. \u201cIt was more being on the sidelines than the pain itself. At one point I stopped watching tennis completely because I just wanted to be there. When you can\u2019t be there and you\u2019re watching the matches, it\u2019s more painful. You feel like you\u2019re missing something every week. I found that a real challenge, and a little lonely at times.\u201d<\/p>\n With the calendar moving on, Fils focused on the long view. Together with his team, he resisted the temptation to rush back, instead committing to a careful and methodical rehabilitation process.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had to take our time,\u201d Fils said. \u201cWe built up the strength in the gym first and then slowly returned to the court. My team and I were very careful because the back is such a major area. We needed to build it up slowly, with a lot of strengthening and flexibility work to build up mobility. There was no point rushing anything.\u201d<\/p>\n On the tougher days, Fils leaned on reminders of what he had already achieved and why the work was worth it. Before the injury halted his momentum, the 21-year-old had climbed to a career-high No. 14 in the PIF ATP Rankings and captured ATP Tour titles in Lyon (2023), Hamburg (2024) and Tokyo (2024).<\/p>\n \u201cYou have to think about that and the past success to push on,\u201d Fils said. \u201cI knew that I was playing very good tennis before I got injured, and I had already done some good things on the Tour. So I told myself, \u2018You just have to wait, take the time, and when you come back, you\u2019ll play as good as you did before.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n You May Also Like: Arthur Fils: From a makeshift court to making the grade on the ATP Tour<\/a><\/p>\n That belief carried him through the final stages of rehab and into his long-awaited return in Montpellier. After nearly eight months away, questions remained over how his body would respond and how quickly match sharpness would return.<\/p>\n \u201cThe most important thing in Montpellier was to see how the body felt,\u201d Fils said. \u201cAfter eight months, the first match is never easy. You always have questions. But the body felt good and the mind felt good as well. That was the biggest positive.\u201d<\/p>\n Fils earned reassurance with wins against Valentin Royer<\/a> and Ugo Blanchet<\/a> en route to the quarter-finals, before eventual champion Felix Auger-Aliassime<\/a> proved too strong. Beyond the results, simply being back around the Tour again carried its own significance.<\/p>\n \u201cI received a lot of messages of support from friends on the Tour,\u201d Fils said. \u201cThat meant a lot. And it was really nice to see everyone again, especially in the locker room. You realise how much you missed those small things when you are back.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\u201cATP\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1768144283_348_atp-no-1-club-banner-article.jpg\")
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