Praised By Djokovic, Halys Says ‘I Feel I Can Beat The Top Guys’

It has been a standout year for Quentin Halys. In the past 12 months, the Frenchman has won three ATP Challenger Tour titles and climbed from outside the Top 150 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings to a career-high No. 61.

Now Halys is making his mark on the ATP Tour. The 26-year-old pushed Novak Djokovic to two tie-break sets in Adelaide last month before he reached his maiden tour-level quarter-final in Auckland.

Halys received praise from Djokovic following their match, when the Serbian said the Frenchman “played like a Top 10 opponent”. The World No. 1’s words have given Halys a boost this week, with the 26-year-old into the quarter-finals at the Open Sud de France – Montpellier.

“It gave me some confidence hearing that,” Halys said when discussing Djokovic’s comments. “At the end I was a little disappointed because I lost. But It is a nice comment. It is always great to hear that. I know I can perform against those players and I am trying to keep training hard and I know where I want to be.”

Alongside Djokovic, Halys has faced World No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas this season, with the pair facing off in the first round at the Australian Open. Despite a tight straight-sets defeat, the Frenchman loved the experience of playing inside Rod Laver Arena, leaving him hungry for more.

“It was another good experience,” Halys said. “I was close to winning the third set but I have learned from that match and now know if I play him again I know what I need to do better. It is always a good experience to play on big stadiums. You play for those matches.

“Now I feel I can beat the top guys. It is completely different to how I felt one or two years ago. Now I feel I can do something. At least win one set. Now I am preparing to have a plan to win and feel I can do something.”

After turning professional in 2012, Halys made his Top 100 breakthrough in May 2022 after reaching the final of an ATP Challenger Tour event in Bordeaux. It was a milestone that the 26-year-old reflects fondly on.

“It was a good moment,” Halys said with a smile. “I was winning so many matches, but it was so tough because I had so many points but I was just outside [the Top 100]. I was winning and then when the guys lost the points from two years ago, I went to No. 86. I was happier about my level than my ranking. I kept working hard and knew I was winning tough matches and going the right way.”

Halys, who supports football team Paris Saint-Germain and rugby side La Rochelle, defeated Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Thursday to reach his second tour-level quarter-final in Montpellier. The Frenchman is delighted with how he has adjusted to the demands of the ATP Tour and is ready to go further at the indoor-hard event.

“I am feeling great this week,” Halys said. “It is always a pleasure to play at home, especially with the crowd here. I have played two great matches and I am excited to be in the quarter-finals.

“On the ATP Tour I am having some good practices and it is a different atmosphere… You have to be on top of your game if you want to perform well. You get better week after week. My goal is to improve, stay at this level and compete and have good wins. Then my level will keep rising.”

Targeting his first tour-level title, Halys will aim to keep his run going when he meets #NextGenATP Frenchman Arthur Fils in the last eight on Friday.