WATCH: Fils Almost Hits Fans After Firing Ball Into Crowd Following Win In Monte-Carlo
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Arthur Fils' celebrations after his victory against Falvio Cobolli at the 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters were almost cut short when he nearly hit someone in the crowd.
Fils was dominant throughout the match against Flavio Cobolli, the recent 2025 Bucharest Open champion. He prevailed 6-2, 6-4 and did not get broken once, only facing two break points.
However, Cobolli almost progressed to the next round despite that beating when Fils attempted to hit the ball into the air after the match point, something many players do to mark a victory.
Fils completely misdirected his shot, as can be seen in the video below. Fans dodged out of the way as the ball whizzed past them. The force behind the shot meant someone could have been hurt had the shot hit someone.
Fortunately for Fils, the ball did not make contact with anyone. By the rules, the umpire would have had no choice but to disqualify the Frenchman had someone in the crowd been hit by his shot.
Fils' relief after the ball missed everyone was evident. He apologized to the fans who were almost hit, and will probably avoid hitting the ball into the air after coming so close to being disqualified.
The young ATP star benefited from the rules not disqualifying a player just for coming close to hitting someone. It can be argued that a player should receive the same punishment for missing someone by a few inches as they would for making contact.
The rules being as they are, Fils is allowed to qualify for the round of 16. He produced an even better performance at that stage, thrashing Andrey Rublev 6-2, 6-3, and setting up a meeting with Carlos Alcaraz.
Fils is one of the most talented emerging stars in tennis. Understandably, Carlos Alcaraz gets the most attention because of the four Grand Slams he has won and being near the top of the sport since 2022.
The Frenchman has an opportunity to show he is capable of matching Alcaraz in the Monte-Carlo quarterfinal. It would send a message to the tennis world that Fils wants to take the next step.
Although Alcaraz is the favorite to win the Monte-Carlo Masters, the draw is open. Jannik Sinner could not enter the tournament because of his ongoing suspension, and Novak Djokovic exited to Alejandro Tabilo.
Stefanos Tsitsipas is the second favorite because of his record in Monte-Carlo. He has won the title three times, including last year. The Greek dropped just two games in the round of 16 against Nuno Borges.
Many will not expect Fils to win the tournament, but he has upset top players before. He beat Alexander Zverev twice in the last two months, including on clay in the 2024 Hamburg Open final.
The other victory was more recent at last month's Miami Open. Zverev has struggled for form since the 2025 Australian Open, and Fils took full advantage to beat the German once again.
So far, several superb Monte-Carlo Masters matches have been played, and the rest of the tournament should also be superb viewing.
