The news, with a bit of spin

Arthur Fils doesn’t see Justine Henin at his back, and neither does Jean-Pol

Through to the European Open semi-finals after beating Alex Michelsen, Arthur Fils learned at a post-match press session that Justine Henin was sitting right behind his bench. He said he would be glad to meet her.

Un joueur assis sur son banc fixe le court sans voir la spectatrice juste derrière lui ; Jean-Pol, dans l'allée, ignore lui aussi la sienne.

It’s very simple. Arthur Fils beat Alex Michelsen in Brussels on Friday night, he’s in the semi-finals, and Justine Henin was sitting right behind his bench. He didn’t see her.

It was Cristel Joiris, of the podcast “Jeu, Set & Podcast”, who told him after the match, saying that Victor, Justine Henin’s son, was a big fan of his. He answered that he hadn’t seen her, that he was concentrating. She pointed out that she was hard to miss. He almost apologised, laughing.

Me, in Kitzbühel, in ’92, there was someone very famous behind my bench. I didn’t see them either. I still don’t know who it was, which proves the quality of my concentration. In ninety per cent of cases, and I’m being kind, the player who looks at the stands loses the match.

Fils said that if Justine Henin wanted to come and meet him, it would give him great pleasure. That’s nice, but. You don’t make Justine Henin walk over, right? You stand up, you turn round. I’ve been telling the youngsters at Léopold for years, nobody listens to me.

Careful, I’m not saying the opposite of what I said. I’m clarifying. You have to see nothing during the match, and everything afterwards.

Silly question, but if nobody at Kitzbühel saw the person, how do we know they were there?

Maxime · the intern, fictional character

I explained to Maxime that it was obvious. He took notes without saying a word.

It’s true, we checked: HLN.

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Our columnists’ reactions are fictional; the facts and real quotes are sourced above.