Arthur Fils gives health update with launch of new YouTube channel

Arthur Fils isn't quite ready for a return to professional tennis, but when he is, fans will hear it from the Frenchman himself.

This week, the 21-year-old former world No. 14 launched his own YouTube channel, where he detailed his decision to skip the opening weeks of the 2026 season as he continues to rehab from a back injury that cost him the second half of 2025.

"I'd prefer to come back at 100% rather than returning too early," the Frenchman says in a video titled "The Right Decision," the first episode of a vlog series he's calling "Renaissance." He speaks about the lead-up to his career-changing injury, when it hit critical mass during a five-set epic against Jaume Munar at Roland Garros, and what he's been up to since then.

The video also features comments from Fils' father, Jean-Emmanuel, a former basketball player who has been a driving force in his son's career, and Christoph Seiler, his kinesiotherapist.

Fils and his team have taken a holistic approach to his recovery, one that he hopes will help him achieve his ambitious goals of being world No. 1 and winning Grand Slams. He now has the advice of a nutritionist, "24/7," he says, and has lost a significant amount of weight to reduce strain on his body.

"I'm 21, I still have around 10 to 15 years of career [ahead], so it's not a race," Fils says, proclaiming that today, his back has never been better,

"I work with a lot of people to try to start fresh ... and I think that now I'm on the right track, so I've got to continue."

Read more: Jannik Sinner launched a YouTube channel—and Nick Kyrgios has thoughts

Fils joins a growing number of players who have taken the story into their own hands on social media. Daria Kasatkina and fiancee Natalia Zabiiako have been going behind-the-scenes on the WTA tour since 2023, and last year, Aryna Sabalenka, Jannik Sinner and Ben Shelton all launched their own channels to document life on tour from their perspective.