Alexander Zverev and Arthur Fils will renew their rivalry in the desert, as the No. 4 seed faces the exciting young Frenchman for a place in the Indian Wells semi-finals. Zverev leads their head-to-head 4-2, but one of those losses came on home soil for the German, when Fils beat him in a fiery Hamburg Open final a couple of years ago.

And Zverev has set the tone for another potentially hostile clash in Indian Wells, after laughing off Fils’ chances of winning their next match. “He’s going to lose on Thursday,” the 28-year-old laughed when asked about his opponent’s prospects.

Aged just 21, Fils has been touted as one of the brightest young stars of the men’s game. He was enjoying a rapid rise early in 2025 before a back injury derailed his season. A back injury forced Fils to withdraw from the French Open in May and, barring a very short-lived comeback in Canada over the summer, he didn’t play again until February of this year.

The world No. 32 has picked up exactly where he left off. He finished runner-up in Doha last month, and is now back into the last eight in Indian Wells. But Zverev doesn’t want Fils getting any further. Asked what he thought of how Fils’ career could progress in general, he replied: “Here? No, no. He’s going to lose on Thursday.”

Despite some of their previous drama, Zverev also believes Fils is one of the most talented up-and-coming players on the ATP Tour. “He’s a great player, I think very young, very talented,” the Tokyo Olympic champion said.

“When he’s healthy, obviously he showed in the beginning of last year what he can do, so yeah, I’m going to prepare for a tough match. Again, I think if I play the way I played and my tennis is there, I have to trust myself and believe in my abilities as well.

“I have always been a fan of him. I have always thought that he has all the talent, all the potential. I think if he’s disciplined enough, he can go quite far, and he can compete with the best.”

Zverev didn’t appear to be Fils’ biggest fan when they met in the championship match at the ATP 500 event in Hamburg in 2024. The 21-year-old threw in an underarm serve to save a break point at 5-5 in the final set, and Zverev wasn’t happy. He missed the serve but went on to win the game. Fils then confronted an angry Zverev at the changeover, and the umpire had to step in, asking them to separate.

After avoiding a costly break, which would have allowed Zverev to serve for the match, the world No. 35 claimed a 6-3 3-6 7-6(1) victory to be crowned the champion. There was a very frosty post-match handshake, as Zverev barely looked at the Frenchman while they briefly touched hands at the net. However, they were all smiles when the world No. 4 sprayed champagne on Fils during the trophy ceremony.