Reuters
Tennis – ATP Masters 1000 – Monte Carlo Masters – Monte Carlo Country Club, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France – April 8, 2024 Canada’s Felix Auger Aliassime in action during his round of 64 match against Italy’s Luca Nardi REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
Reuters
Tennis – ATP Masters 1000 – Monte Carlo Masters – Monte Carlo Country Club, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France – April 8, 2024 Canada’s Felix Auger Aliassime in action during his round of 64 match against Italy’s Luca Nardi REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
Tennis fans currently have all their focus on Andrey Rublev and Felix Auger-Aliassime. Set to play in the Madrid Open finals, both players are currently the trending topics of discussions as one of them will seek glory in just a few hours. Looking at the 23-year-old’s history, he not only secured titles but was also elected as the Canadian Press Athlete of the Year back in 2022. While he had to go through the ups and downs of this tough road, he recently mentioned how it affected his popularity.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
Despite facing challenges that led to his absence on the court, Felix Auger-Aliassime managed to keep his passion for the sport alive which made him retain his position back in the game.
Explaining how the last year made him go through adversity, Auger-Aliassime expressed, “I’ve had a very interesting journey since I turned professional, because I felt like I was improving every year, being a better player. Then came the year 2023, which was a terrible year in my career and in my life. And people forget everything I did before.”
Top Stories
Félix Auger-Aliassime's route to the final in Madrid
✅ Nishioka 4-6 6-1 6-4
✅ Mannarino 6-0 6-4
✅ Mensik 6-1 1-0 retires 🚑
✅ Ruud 6-4 7-5
✅ Sinner withdrawal 🚑
✅ Lehecka 3-3 retires 🚑🥶 Rublev must not be very unfazed for the final pic.twitter.com/z151pU4C42
— We Are Tennis (@WeAreTennis) May 3, 2024
Auger-Aliassime’s path to the finals of the Madrid Open saw unexpected turns, with his quarterfinal opponent Jannik Sinner withdrawing before the match because of a hip injury and semi-final opponent Jiri Lehecka retiring mid-match. Despite the tough battles fought in the last year, luck seemed to turn Auger-Aliassime’s fate this time around.
“It’s great to find myself in this situation; life and tennis smile on me again,” Auger-Aliassime remarked, showing gratitude for the opportunity ahead to compete at the highest level once again. As he prepares to take on Rublev in the finals, will he be able to make it count?
Felix Auger-Aliassime is ready to fight the ‘tough battle’ against Rublev
Besides opening up about the setbacks that he had to go through, Felix-Auger Aliassime also opened up about his upcoming showdown against Andrey Rublev. The Canadian mentioned how most of their matches have ended up being highly intense and have gone to three sets.
Felix Auger Aliassime on facing Andrey Rublev in Madrid final:
“I’ve always had 3 set battles with Rublev. Even back in 2018, I was much younger but it’s always entertaining. It’s always a tough battle. I had a close one with him in Rotterdam this year, I had some match points,… pic.twitter.com/KoAvvcB5wY
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) May 3, 2024
“I’ve always had 3 set battles with Rublev. Even back in 2018, I was much younger but it’s always entertaining. It’s always a tough battle,” the 23-year-old said, dropping hints about a highly competitive match ahead. Along with that, he also mentioned how their last showdown in Rotterdam was close enough for him.
“I had a close one with him in Rotterdam this year, I had some match points, so hopefully it can go my way this time,” he added. As Felix-Auger Aliassime seems to be mentally prepared for the upcoming match against Rublev, it still remains to be seen if he will be able to get it done this time.
Written by
Edited by
Arunima Bhanot