Before facing Rublev in the final, Auger-Aliassime savors: "Life and tennis are smiling on me again".

© AFP

Elio Valotto

le 05/05/2024 à 17h35

2 min to read

Auger-Aliassime Madrid Rublev Ruud

Félix Auger-Aliassime is reborn in Madrid. After a disastrous 2023 season, the Canadian finally seems to be back on track. After a fairly good start to the season, he took things up a notch in Spain. Benefiting from more than favorable circumstances (Jakub Mensik's withdrawal in the third round, Jannik Sinner's forfeit in the quarter-finals and Jiri Lehecka's withdrawal in the semi-finals), the former world no. 6 made the most of his opportunity to reach the final.

After a great match in the Round of 16 (against Casper Ruud, 6-4, 7-5), he admits to being happy in spite of everything: "Obviously, I feel bad for those who had to give up on me. [...] I've had several injuries and I know what it feels like to be deprived of doing what you love most in the world. I know I'm facing a great opportunity in my career. I think I trained well for weeks, I had a good feeling and against Ruud I got a win that gave me a lot of confidence."

When asked about his comeback, Félix looked back on his months of hardship, but insisted on the importance of his determination: "I had the impression that I was getting better every year, that I was a better player. Then came 2023, which was a terrible year in my career and in my life, and we forgot everything I'd done before. [...] What I'm most proud of is that I kept my passion for tennis through the tough times, dealt with the frustration and continued to want to be a great tennis player with all my might. [...] Life and tennis are smiling on me again."