Fils ready to carry French hopes

He had a taste of it as a bright teenage prospect in two previous outings but both ended at the first hurdle.

And he has never been the highest-ranked French player at a major - until now.

Roland Garros 2025 Day 1 Order of Play

Men's singles draw

Encouraging results in the early part of 2025 have compounded the hype. The 20-year-old became just the third Frenchman after Yannick Noah and Gael Monfils to reach the quarter-finals at Indian Wells and Miami in the same year; in Miami he beat then No.2 Alexander Zverev for the biggest win of his career.

The world No.14 subsequently posted wins on clay over the likes of Andrey Rublev and Stefanos Tsitsipas and pushed Carlos Alcaraz to three sets in the Monte-Carlo semi-finals.

This will be his first major as a top 16 seed and with that comes the expectation to reach the second week of a Slam for just the second time. He did that at Wimbledon last year before Alex de Minaur foiled his tilt.

“I feel different, for sure. I'm not going to try only to win one match here this year … I mean, it's never going to be easy, it’s a Slam,” Fils said. “It can be long. I have a tough opponent in the first round, so let's see. I feel good, and my game is feeling better and better. I'm playing great tennis since two, three months right now …

“I think it's not bad when people hope in you. That means that people can reach higher, but I hope that I'll do well in the first round. I hope that there is going to be a good environment, and I hope that I'll do better and better as we progress through the tournament.”

That first opponent is dangerous Chilean Nicolas Jarry, a player who only a year ago was the world No.16 before struggles with injury and form dragged him down.

Two years ago it was Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina who stopped Fils on debut, while last year, seeded for the first time at No.29, he crashed out again in the opening round, this time to Matteo Arnaldi.

Tweaks have been made since. His fitness, strength and confidence have all risen since that defeat to the wily Italian.

“The ranking isn't the same. The timing isn't the same, either,” he said. “I'm playing better than last year. I have more experience than last year. You know, it was a hard blow at the time, but it teaches you a lesson. And of course, I could lose in the first round of any tournament. Now I've got a little bit more experience and I know how to manage it better.

“I'm training better. That's sure … I'm not too nervous. I think that helps a lot. What else can I say? I try not to lose too much energy, because when you're in Paris, it wears you out.”

Another of his peers, Ben Shelton, knows the feeling of competing in the public glare at his home major.

An equally flashy and flamboyant shot-maker, the American hailed his good friend Fils as the new showman of French tennis.

It was a badge of honour to an extent, but certainly not the end game for the nation’s brightest hope.

“When I go onto a court, do I want to have a show? No, not necessarily. But with my way of playing, et cetera, quite often you get good points, you have spectacular moments, and I think the public likes that,” Fils said. “I think that's good for the public when they come to see matches, sometimes matches in five sets that can be really long.

“If it's not too boring for the public, then that's good. It's fun and of course I don't try necessarily to please them, but I think like Ben, with my way of playing, it's a bit spectacular, or like Gael [Monfils]. So you can put us in the category of showman, but I'm not trying to be a showman.”