Felix Auger-Aliassime performing under pressure in hometown tournament

Aug 11 2022, 4:27 pm

It’s not easy wearing the weight of a country’s expectations at your hometown tennis tournament.

Felix Auger-Aliassime is realizing that this week.

The last time the men’s tournament took place in Montreal was 2019 and it was called the Rogers Cup. Auger-Aliassime was 19 and his professional tennis career was just beginning. The excitement and hype around him was real, but expectations were relaxed.

Three years later, the tournament has been renamed the National Bank Open and Auger-Aliassime is an experienced ATP pro. His recent results have impressed tennis fans around the world. In 2021 he reached a Wimbledon quarter-final and US Open semi-final but had his deep runs ended by finalist Matteo Berrettini and eventual champion Daniil Medvedev respectively.

Earlier this year, the Canadian made it to the Australian Open quarter final before losing to Medvedev again, this time forcing the current World. No. 1 to five gruelling sets.
Needless to say Canadian tennis fans are now hoping for more than his previous third-round appearance in Montreal.

Add that the other two Canadians in the draw – Denis Shapovalov and Vasek Pospisil – already lost their first-round matches, and that the tournament lost its top two seeds – Medvedev and Carlos Alcaraz – on Wednesday, and the pressure on Auger-Aliassime is through the roof.

Auger-Aliassime spoke about the unexpected nerves after winning his first match of the tournament on Wednesday against Yoshihito Nishioka 7-6 (6), 6-4.

“This morning I woke up well. I felt rested. I was talking with my family quietly. My warmup was very good. Everything seemed normal,” Auger-Aliassime explained during the French portion of his press conference.

“But when you go out there, after going through the tunnel you feel vibrations and an excitement that I feel nowhere else. I felt butterflies.”

Those butterflies were evident during the match when Auger-Aliassime saw three set points come and go after being up 6-3 in the first-set tiebreak.

Then, at 7-6 in the breaker, Felix produced what will likely be one of the most memorable moments of the week.

 

“Winning the set on the shot I made, it was incredible,” explained Auger-Aliassime.

“I really hit a beautiful shot at the right moment. The noise was incredible. The energy I felt was unique. I didn’t have any more energy. I just stood in front of the crowd and appreciated the moment.”

The nerves didn’t disappear after that either. Despite controlling and dictating play for most of the match, Auger-Aliassime couldn’t break open when he had five chances to break Nishioka’s serve to start the second set.

He did eventually get the break with the Japanese player serving at 2-2 but the nerves were evident as he repeatedly took over points yet missed finishing opportunities.

Despite the nerves and pressure, Auger-Aliassime left no doubt about how important his home tournament is to him.

“This really is a tournament where I am ready to give unlimited efforts,” he said.

“I always try to do my best here in front of this crowd. I feel they’re supporting me. I want to give them the best performance.”

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