The Nomadic Life… with Arthur Fils
Arthur Fils is one of the brightest young stars in tennis and he has shown that this week at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships, where he is into the final.
The Frenchman, who is first in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, is still learning new things about life on Tour. ATPTour.com caught up with Fils earlier in the year to learn about what he enjoys about traveling, his favourite places to visit, his walk-on song and more.
Are there two essential non-tennis items you would always take with you when on Tour?
A speaker, and city clothes.
Have you ever forgotten an important item when going on Tour?
If I forget my racquet, then of course it’s a big problem! But I think for me, I cannot play if I forget my headphones. I’m always [tuned] into music, and if I forget my headphones, I’m going to play badly for sure.
What is your walk-on song?
It depends, but a lot of French rap, and there is one French rapper, called Gradur.
And do you enjoy traveling the world, or is it just something you do?
I’m still young, so of course, I enjoy it. Maybe [it’s not] for the guys who are 35 or 40. [and] they do [it] because they play tennis. But me, I’m still young so I love to travel, sometimes with my friends, sometimes with my family, and every time with my coach. It’s super nice.
Is there a time when you decide to go to a tournament because you just want to see the city?
Yes, Rio. With Rio I went there because it was a dream for me to go to Rio.
What’s your favourite vacation destination?
Last year, I went to Mauritius and it was unbelievable. This year we want to go either in Oman or in the Red Sea, in Saudi Arabia. It looks unbelievable, better than Maldives.
And are there any routines or activities you do when you are away to, like, create a sense of home?
We go out to restaurants when we can, there are some great restaurants. In London, when we go, we go to good restaurants.
How do you try to overcome jet lag? Do you have, like, any tactics? Strategies? Do you suffer badly from jetlag?
I can sleep whenever I want, so I don’t care. Right before coming here [to talk to you], I was taking a nap for an hour.
And last one, are you someone who gets the airport with lots of time, or you, like, half an hour, 20 minutes before the flight?
I don’t take a lot of time, but the thing is, my coach is a little bit old, Sebastien [Grosjean]. So he wants to be there three hours before the flight, even if we are in priority or whatever, he still wants to be there three hours before the flight. Who likes hanging out waiting for their plane?