By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Monday August 14, 2023
The Canadian has struggled for months but could be finally finding some form in Cincinnati.
Photo Source: TTV
A long, difficult season has taken its toll on Felix Auger-Aliassime at times, but the Canadian has never wavered in his belief that he is one of the top players in the sport. He simply needed to put his injuries behind him and get his confidence up.
At the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati, the 23-year-old Canadian is doing just that.
Auger-Aliassime snapped a four-match losing streak and earned his first win since May on Monday, defeating Matteo Berrettini from a set down, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.
After the match the Canadian, who improved to 2-4 lifetime against the former Wimbledon finalist, updated reporters on his injury status, and expressed the sentiment that the toughest part is behind him.
“I never doubted my abilities or the player I am. I think I have proven to myself and others that I'm among the best players in the world in the past,” the World No.14 said.
Auger-Aliassime has been held back by a knee injury for months, but says that he is in much better shape now, and able to play the type of explosive tennis he needs to play in order to win at the highest level.
“This year has been challenging due to different reasons,” he said. “Of course the knee injury that lasted very long kept me on the sideline and also just not playing with the intensity and the level that I can play and that I should play.
“I think nowadays it's tough. You really need to be at your best. Take a first round like today and all the matches I'm going to play this week, you really need to move well and be explosive, need to play at your best. The level right now these days is too even, too close.”
“I was really struggling a lot this year–since I came back on hard court swing I felt much better. I just needed to accept: ‘Okay, I lost two matches in a row.’ Not the comeback I was hoping for, but now it's my third week back since kind of the injury, and it's nice to get a win finally.”
The loss of forward momentum has left the former World No.6 feeling out of sync. He's also a far cry statistically from the player that won 60 matches and four titles in 2022, but the Montreal native is optimistic that he is not too far from his best tennis.
“I feel good about my game,” he said, after improving to 14-13 overall on the season and setting up a second-round clash with Adrian Mannarino of France. “On the practice court or now physically I feel pretty good. I'm not too far from the best version of myself. But at the same time, we'll see. I need more matches to say, ‘Okay, I'm really playing great, great tennis again.’
“Today was great, but it's important to keep going with that same desire and same determination. I think if I can win more matches this week, then I can kind of prove to myself again or even confirm what I have been feeling, which is, you know, I'm there. I'm not like so far from my best level.”