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Arthur Fils was defeated in the final at the Next Gen ATP Finals 2023 against Hamad Medjedovic. The Frenchman was the favorite for the final in Jeddah, but was surprised in a 5-set match. The ATP Next Gen Finals selects the best young players around and has a different regulation than what we are used to seeing during the season.
The absence of warm-ups and sets that last 4 games are some of the changes compared to the rules we know.
The Frenchman's furious words overwhelm the rules of the Next Gen Finals
However, the French tennis player did not appreciate the long breaks between sets that his rival took: "It's a very wrong rule.
If you want things to go faster, you don't need 10 minute breaks between one set and another. It's the regulation, so we have to put up with it. We stopped for about eight or ten minutes between the first and second sets, and then between the fourth and fifth.
That's how it works. When he came back on the court, I was inside. I don't know if he wanted to break my rhythm or get back into the game. It may not be against me and I have no problem with it, but the rule is terrible. It's really stupid that this could happen here.
I lost my rhythm a bit, after two intense tie-breaks, it's not easy to get back to playing the next point ten minutes later. I think this helped him. He didn't necessarily do it to harm me, in the end he respected the rules. In a Grand Slam, if you win 7-6 in the first set, an hour of play, it's normal, but here it's something you should be able to stop, it's really stupid," explained the Frenchman in an interview with l'Equipe.
During his preparation in Kuwait will have a very special shoulder: "I'm going to Kuwait this Sunday. I train all week with sparring partners and Rafa arrives on Friday the 8th. From then on we will train together. I will continue my preparation."