Arthur Fils aired his frustrations with the court conditions at the Chile Open in Santiago by directing an expletive-laden tirade at the tournament supervisor.
Following a first-round bye, third seed Fils advanced to the quarterfinals in Santiago with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Thiago Seyboth Wild. The Frenchman then battled it out against Pedro Martinez for a place in the semifinals of the ATP 250 event.
The quarterfinal clash took a controversial turn when Fils expressed dissatisfaction with the claycourt conditions, yelling at the tournament supervisor in a foul-mouthed rant.
The 19-year-old questioned the supervisor's ability to judge the adequacy of the conditions without being an athlete himself.
"How do you know? Tell me, how we do? F**king hell. That's the worst. ... Don't yell about what? Are you a f**king athlete? Are you a f**king athlete? I'm asking to you please answer. Are you a f**king athlete? So how do you know if its possible to play or not on this court?," he yelled.
"How do you know? Man, I told you before this tournament no? I told you before this tournament. What happened now? What happened now? Answer my f**king question, what happened now?," Fils continued.
Arthur Fils' frustration comes as no surprise, as the condition of the claycourts in Santiago has been a point of contention among the participants.
Earlier this week, Roberto Carballes Baena criticized the "dangerous" conditions and raised concerns about the risk of injury due to the irregular bounce and sinking courts.
What do you want me to tell you, that the tournament is sh*t? That on the court you can’t play? I think it’s a shame that an ATP is played on this court, I think it’s dangerous for the players. Hopefully this tournament will never be held again," he told CLAY.
"This is not tennis, in the end this becomes the tombola. With fear all the time to get injured and with terrible bounces… and sometimes the ball doesn’t even bounce! I did feel that I could get injured. Every time I was forced I was afraid to tighten my leg because it was sinking all the time. In fact I ended up with discomfort in my back," the Spaniard added.
Cristian Garin also echoed Carballes Baena's sentiments, labeling the Chile Open courts as the worst he has seen at an ATP tournament.
"I don't like to criticize the tournament because it is here, but it is the worst court at the ATP level I have played on," Cristian Garin said in his post-match interview.
Pedro Martinez beat Arthur Fils to reach Chile Open SF
Arthur Fils and Pedro Martinez locked horns in a closely contested quarterfinal encounter at the Chile Open. Martinez displayed his resilience, as he edged past the Frenchman to claim a 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-2 victory in two hours and 25 minutes.
The Spaniard then took on second seed Sebastian Baez in the semifinals. Baez dominated the clash, booking his place in the final of the ATP 250 event with a 6-4, 6-2 win.
Following his exit from the Chile Open, Arthur Fils will next be in action at the Indian Wells Masters, which commences on March 6. The 19-year-old will make his debut at the Masters 1000 event.