MELBOURNE, Australia | A few days before his first match at the Australian Open, Félix Auger-Aliassime said he wanted to make this start of the year an extension of the final weeks of the 2022 season.
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With three singles titles in a row in October, 16 wins in a row and the conquest of the Davis Cup with his compatriots, the Quebecer didn’t actually want to hang a new calendar on the wall.
But no, the “FAA” did not pressure Melbourne to repeat its exploits of the fall. In fact, the 22-year-old says he didn’t even have time to think about it.
Félix has spent the last few days and especially the last few meetings in solution mode.
“I felt good before the game [de quatrième tour contre Jiri Lehecka], showed Auger-Aliassime. I started the last two games well.
“But I struggled with every meeting I had, so I didn’t really have time to think beyond the game I was playing,” he continued. I was just trying to find a way to win and improve my level of play.
The page turned quickly
Even the sixth favorite does not want to suffer below his previous level with these performances.
Just a few minutes after the defeat, Auger-Aliassime said in the dressing room that he was thinking about the next few weeks. How he would fill his schedule ahead of his next tournament.
For this he returns to Rotterdam in mid-February, where he is the defending champion.
“After the game, I digest my emotions a bit. I try to stay calm. And after that, honestly, I’m thinking about what’s in store for me, ”he explained to the journalists who came out to meet him.
Unlike his compatriot Denis Shapovalov, Felix did not look like a tortured player after his retirement.
When his report was finished, he even thanked the journalists for being there and wished them a “good return” to the whole class that has made his reputation on the circuit.
A rare gift from a player who has just lost.
“What’s done is done,” he conceded calmly.