Arthur Fils has already outlined his retirement plans despite being just 19 years old. The Frenchman has been one of this year’s breakout stars, rising from No 251 in the world into the top 40. His efforts earned him an invitation to train with Rafael Nadal this month but he is already thinking about his post-tennis career and has some unusual plans to star in action movies.
Fils capped off his first full season on tour with a run to the final of the Next Gen Finals. The world No 36 was the highest-ranked man in the field at the 21-and-under tournament in Jeddah but narrowly lost out to Hamad Medjedovic. He will now stay in the Middle East to hit with Nadal after receiving a special invitation to help the 37-year-old prepare for his comeback.
While it gives Nadal a chance to hit with a top player again, it will also be a huge opportunity for the teenage sensation to spar with one of the sport’s great champions which will prove valuable for his career. But the 19-year-old also has one eye on his retirement goals with an outlandish goal for a new profession.
Asked what job he’d have if he wasn’t playing tennis, the world No 36 told the ATP: “An actor, for sure.” And the French ace has a particular genre in mind as he aims to follow his movie-star dream in retirement.
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He added: “That’s what I’m going to do after my career, for sure. Action movies, like Michael B. Jordan.” His goal of starring in action movies will have to wait, however, as Fils is heading to Nadal’s Kuwait academy for a training week with the former world No 1.
Nadal recently announced that he would be making a comeback at the Brisbane International – almost a full year after his last match and more than six months after undergoing arthroscopic hip surgery. The Spaniard made a successful return to the practice courts and is now hoping to raise the intensity of his training sessions.
To do that, he’ll be hitting with Lyon Open champion Fils for a week. It came as a pleasant surprise to the teenager, who said: “I was very happy, very surprised when he asked me to practise with him.
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“It’s such a big thing for me to play with one of the greatest players of all time. I will try my best for him but I have a big season coming so I will also try my best for myself. I will try to enjoy it as well.”
While Fils is hoping to follow Michael B. Jordan after tennis, he has plenty of goals that he wants to achieve before hanging up his racket. But the Frenchman is hoping to take it slow and knows it will be tough to emulate Alcaraz’s rapid rise.
“My goal is not to be No 1 in the world in three months, because it’s not possible. I have to work,” he explained. “I have to work in the gym, work on the court, try my best in every match I play and then maybe one day I will be a champion. I hope it comes fast, but not as fast as Carlos, because what he did was crazy.”
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