Felix Auger Aliassime

[Damian]

Felix On Montreal: 'Pressure Was Enormous'

Spoiler:

19-year-old talks about playing at his home ATP Masters 1000 event
Felix Auger-Aliassime could hardly have dreamed up a better atmosphere for his 19th birthday. The teenager was playing on Court Central at his hometown ATP Masters 1000 tournament, the Coupe Rogers in Montreal, with fans shouting, “Let's go, Fe-lix!”

“I never heard a stadium yell like this, sound like this, an atmosphere like this. It was incredible. At the changeover at 6-all, I could see the people there. I was raising my fist, and I felt energy coming up my legs. It was the first time I ever felt that. It was incredible,” he said.

The #NextGenATP Canadian led by a set and a break against World No. 8 Karen Khachanov and had the finish line within sight, which was the problem. The 19-year-old peered ahead just a little bit and never recovered as Khachanov came back to advance 6-7(7), 7-5, 6-3 and make the quarter-finals.

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“When there's a lot on the line, when you see the finish line, the nerves get to you. That's part of my journey,” said Auger-Aliassime, who was trying to reach his second Masters 1000 quarter-final (Miami 2019). “It just means that I still have things to improve to win these types of matches and to deal better with these types of moments.”

Both players struggled with the wind and their nerves, but it was the 23-year-old Khachanov who found a way to settle down. Auger-Aliassime particularly struggled with his serve, hitting 12 double faults to 10 aces.

“For sure I'm facing difficulties on my second serve. I have to face it. It's like you. You face difficulties in your work. I face difficulties in mine. What do you do? You go back to work, and you try to do better next time,” Auger-Aliassime said.

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The teenager had never before faced an environment or a tournament like the Coupe Rogers in Montreal. He played in the Canadian Masters 1000 event in 2016 in Toronto, losing in the first round of qualifying, and last year in Toronto, falling in the second round.

“It's good that I broke the ice, so to speak. But now it's over. I can say the pressure was enormous. I can't hide that. Everybody talks about it. It's a big tournament for me. At the end I want to play well, I don't want to be disappointed. There's a lot of pressure,” Auger-Aliassime said.

“But I learned a lot this week. I learned how to know myself better. I think it's good for the rest of the season and for the following years. I had a good week here.

“It went beyond any expectations I had. What I received was incredible. I'm young but I never felt that before. I really want to thank everybody. It was very touching. It was incredible. I'll remember that for all my life.”

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/felix-a ... y-reaction

[Damian]

[Kamileki]

[Damian]

[arti]

19.08.2019

Najwyższy ranking w karierze: 19

[arti]

[Damian]

Felix Makes Top 20, Featured In Vogue

Spoiler:

#NextGenATP Canadian going for first US Open win next week
What a way to celebrate cracking the Top 20 of the ATP Rankings for the first time.

#NextGenATP Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime is featured in Vogue's September 2019 issue, which is on newsstands throughout the U.S. starting Tuesday. The 19-year-old climbed to a new career-high of No. 19 on Monday when the new ATP Rankings were released.

You May Also Like: What Does Victorious Felix Really Want? A Birthday Cake Like Federer's
Auger-Aliassime has risen 89 spots since the start of the season and will go for his first US Open main-draw win next week when the season's final Grand Slam begins on 26 August.

Below is an excerpt from the story, which is titled, “Félix Auger-Aliassime Is Taking Tennis by Storm”. The full story can be read here.

By Sarah Crompton/Vogue

Auger-Aliassime began playing tennis at the age of four at the suggestion of his father, Sam, a tennis coach, originally from Togo. (His mother, Marie, is a teacher, and his older sister Malika plays college tennis.) “He just transmitted his passion to us,” Auger-Aliassime says, grinning broadly, revealing the gap in his front teeth. “I don’t really have a memory of not playing. And at a very young age, I told him, ‘I want to be a professional tennis player.’ What I like most about the game is its competitive side. It’s a duel—like chess or like gladiators. It’s two players confronting each other and finding solutions, and I really like that.”

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/felix-a ... ugust-2019

[Barty]

[Kamileki]

[Damian]

Behind The Scenes With Felix Auger-Aliassime At New York Photo Shoot

Spoiler:

Go behind the scenes with the #NextGenATP Canadian ahead of the US Open
ATPTour.com went behind the scenes with #NextGenATP Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime before he begins his run at the US Open. Below is a timeline of his day.

At 2:34 p.m. on Saturday afternoon in Manhattan, #NextGenATP Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime began a promotional shoot for the Next Gen ATP Finals. He’d already had one practise session earlier on, just three days away from his first-round match at the US Open against close friend and countryman Denis Shapovalov. And later in the evening, he’d travel to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center for his second hit of the day, this time on Grandstand, where he hit with countryman Vasek Pospisil in front of just a few photographers.

A year ago, then a qualifier, Felix departed the court in tears after retiring in the third set against Shapovalov due to a reoccurring heart condition. Now Auger-Aliassime returns to New York as the favourite after cracking the Top 20 of the ATP Rankings for the first time this week, making him one of the quickest-rising stars on the ATP Tour.

But Auger-Aliassime is humble to say the least. Just weeks ago at the Coupe Rogers, throngs of fans sprinted after the teen wherever he went — to practise, to a match, probably to dinner, too. Felix was the celebrity and phone-wielding fans were paparazzi en masse. Yet after arriving at the photoshoot, the first thing he did was introduce himself to all the staff around, extending his hand for a handshake to each person in every room, whether he’d previously met them or not.

Auger-Aliassime is not all forehands and backhands, nor is he all serves and returns. Yes, he’s a tennis sensation, but he’s also a well-mannered 19-year-old, a teen who presents himself as someone who’s been there and done that. The thing is, this is only the beginning.

At 2:38, Felix arrived at the photo room on the second floor, where a handful of lighting apparatuses brought a dark-coloured background to life. The Canadian sat down to have make-up applied.


As incredible as it may seem because of his stellar 2019 season — which has included his first three ATP Tour finals and a maiden ATP Masters 1000 semi-final — Auger-Aliassime is trying to qualify for the Next Gen ATP Finals for the first time, currently sitting in second place in the ATP Race To Milan, from which the Top 7 21-and-under players in the world automatically qualify.

“Everyone said it’s great,” Auger-Aliassime said of the third-year event.

The No. 18 seed stood up at 2:41 and began digging through his bag. Did he need to wear white socks or black socks? Auger-Aliassime was prepared for anything, even down to his socks.

Arms folded. Turn your body to the left. Back to the right. Keep your body to the side and turn your head towards the camera. Take a step back.

The photographer was like a coach, but instead of being on the court feeding forehands and backhands, Felix was in a small hotel room in Manhattan, showered by the consistent pings of the flashes going off around him.

“Like this or like this?” Auger-Aliassime asked about a pose. It’s clear that doing things properly is of the utmost importance to Felix. When he’s asked to do something, he wants to do it the right way.

During a momentary break in the shooting, Auger-Aliassime looked down at and played with the strings of his racquet. Those strings will likely be cut out after his next practice. But countless winners will fly off of the Canadian’s racquet in the years to come.

At 2:47, Felix was asked to put his sweater on for the next set of photos. The make-up artist warned him to be careful, saying she could fix his hair, but that the make-up could be more problematic on his clothes.

“Did I get it right?” Felix said, eager to please.


The photographer and his assistants got to a point where they wanted Auger-Aliassime to scream for an image full of intensity. All of the #NextGenATP stars coming through that day would do so. The first shot wasn’t intense enough for the photographer.

“I’m not angry right now. Maybe after practice tonight,” Auger-Aliassime joked. “You’re getting precise now. Shouting, screaming. I don’t know.

“Okay, perfect!” At 2:53, Auger-Aliassime thanked everyone in the room, walked through the hallway past several conference rooms and down a set of winding stairs, leaving him in the lobby. Ten seconds later he walked into a larger room where a green screen awaited him to film promotional material for Milan, should the Canadian qualify.

Again, Auger-Aliassime introduced himself to everyone in the room and awaited instructions. The first thing he did was autograph a frame of glass, much like you see players do after a match. The director explained to him how one side of the marker was thinner and the other was thicker, and that he should use the latter. Again, Auger-Aliassime double-checked to make sure he did it correctly, signing the glass four times until it was perfect.

At 3:04, Felix had to go through the roaring routine again, and then at 3:10, the director asked him for a burning stare through the lens to finish off his session in front of the green screen.

<a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/feli ... iew'>Felix Auger-Aliassime</a>

Once again, Auger-Aliassime thanked everyone in the room and took an elevator up to the third floor to speak some promotional lines into the camera for the Next Gen ATP Finals, sitting in a chair in a smaller hotel room at 3:12.

Straight into camera?

Felix used plenty of hand motions, reading his lines with plenty of energy. Whenever he misspoke, he quickly apologised, even though he didn’t need to. There were no forehands or backhands being hit in that room, but Auger-Aliassime was giving it everything he could.

Want my body this way?

In isolation, this precision is nothing atypical. But it’s clear that Auger-Aliassime is particular about everything he does.

After losing in the Miami Open presented by Itau semi-finals, in which he struggled with his second serve in crucial moments, he went right to the practice court after the match to work on it. Felix double faulted 10 times in his first-round loss at the Western & Southern Open against fellow #NextGenATP star Miomir Kecmanovic.

But shadowing Auger-Aliassime for just an hour, even away from the tennis court, the teen showed he will relentlessly work to fix that. He is simply too precise not to.

“I always have high expectations. I put big goals ahead of me,” Auger-Aliassime said.

One of his goals was entering the Top 50 of the ATP Rankings by the end of the year. He accomplished that by 1 April.

“For sure I was surprised,” Felix admitted of how quickly he’s risen in 2019. But he also says that he’s put in the work for it. And he’s not counting himself qualified for Milan yet, either. Auger-Aliassime is insistent on continuing “to do the right things” now and for the rest of his career, never counting his chickens before they hatch.

“ to make sure I make it,” Auger-Aliassime said of qualifying for Milan. “You’ll make it if you deserve it.”

At , Auger-Aliassime thanked the final few staff members for their help during the shoot, and walked towards the hotel’s exit, with a tantalising first-round match against his friend Shapovalov ahead of him.

There’s little one can learn about a player’s tennis at a promotional shoot. But regardless of what happens on Tuesday at the US Open, Felix will continue to put the work in.

Whether he wins or loses a match, he will handle it with class. And Felix won’t stop until he gets the most out of his game. How high is his ceiling? Only time will tell. And at 19, there is plenty of time to find out.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/auger-a ... -open-2019

[Kamileki]

[Kamileki]

[18] Felix Auger-Aliassime: On 27 May, became youngest player (18) in Top 25 since Hewitt (18) on 13 December 1999.

[Damian]

Felix Closing On First Next Gen ATP Finals Berth

Spoiler:

Serbia's Kecmanovic looking to hold onto seventh and final qualification spot
Seven weeks for seven spots. After a thrilling third quarter on the ATP Tour, seven of the eight places at the Next Gen ATP Finals remain up for grabs, and only seven weeks remain in the ATP Race To Milan.

The Race will determine seven of the eight players who compete at the 21-and-under event, now in its third year and to be held 5-9 November in Milan. The eighth spot is reserved for an Italian wild card.

Felix Auger-Aliassime, 19, sits in second place in the Race with 1,636 points. The #NextGenATP Canadian is 31-19 during his first full season on the ATP Tour and enjoyed an emotional homecoming in August at his home ATP Masters 1000 event, the Coupe Rogers in Montreal.

Auger-Aliassime made the third round, falling to 2017 Next Gen ATP Finals qualifier Karen Khachanov of Russia.

You May Also Like: Behind The Scenes With Felix Auger-Aliassime At New York Photo Shoot
“When there's a lot on the line, when you see the finish line, the nerves get to you. That's part of my journey,” Auger-Aliassime, who was trying to reach his second Masters 1000 quarter-final (Miami), said at the time. “It just means that I still have things to improve to win these types of matches and to deal better with these types of moments.”
Auger-Aliassime fell in the first round of the US Open to 20-year-old countryman Denis Shapovalov, who is in fourth place in the Race with 1,075 points. The left-hander, who also competed at the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals in 2017, turned around his season during the North American hard-court swing.

Shapovalov had lost five consecutive matches before the Canadian Masters 1000 event, but he beat France's Pierre-Hugues Herbert to snap the streak. One week later, at the Winston-Salem Open, Shapovalov made his second semi-final of the season (Miami).

Defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas became the first player to qualify for Milan during the US Open, but Tsitsipas, who leads the Race with 3,205 points, is also on track to make his debut at the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held the following week at The O2 in London.

Follow the ATP Race To Milan

Alex de Minaur, last year's Milan finalist, is in third place in the Race (1,170) and also jumpstarted his 2019 on hard courts. De Minaur won his second ATP title of the season, beating American Taylor Fritz to win the BB&T Atlanta Open.

The 20-year-old De Minaur started his year by winning his maiden ATP title in Sydney, but a groin injury limited his play on clay and grass.

“This one is really special to me. I felt like I really needed this. To start the year with a bang and then be slowed down by injuries… you expect your level to be right there once you come back, but you have to slowly grind your way back,” De Minaur said in Atlanta.

American Frances Tiafoe, who competed in Milan last year, is in fifth place with 960 points. Norway's Casper Ruud, who's going for his maiden Milan appearance, sits in sixth place with 886 points. And Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic, in the seventh and final qualifying spot (873 points), has distanced himself from the rest of the hopefuls.

On 15 July, Kecmanovic was only 57 points ahead of eighth-placed Ugo Humbert of France. But Kecmanovic added 256 points in the past two months, increasing the distance between himself and Humbert to 185 points.

Kecmanovic, 20-15 on the year, made the quarter-finals in Atlanta and the third round at the Western & Southern Open, a Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati. The #NextGenATP Serbian beat Alexander Zverev in Cincy for his first Top 10 win.

“I'm really happy that I was able to play the way I did. I worked a lot, I practised a lot. To see everything come together and happen, it's really special,” Kecmanovic said. “I definitely just tried to go for everything.”

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/felix-a ... eview-2019

[Barty]

Read & Watch: Felix, Hyeon Go Back To School In Chengdu

Spoiler:

Auger-Aliassime, Chung inspire students during tennis clinic
#NextGenATP star Felix Auger-Aliassime and 2017 Next Gen ATP Finals champion Hyeon Chung visited the Jinhui Primary School on Monday to conduct a tennis clinic with 20 students.

The 19-year-old Canadian and 23-year-old Korean, who are both playing at the Chengdu Open for the second year running, supervised a variety of training drills and provided the kids with tips to improve their form and increase their confidence.

The pair then picked a partner each to play seven-point tie-break, which was won by Chung and his teammate.

You May Also Like: Felix Closing On First Next Gen ATP Finals Berth
"It was a nice activity, I’m always up for things like this," said Auger-Aliassime, the No. 2 seed at the ATP 250 tournament. "It’s nice to put a smile on the kids' faces and see how they play and inspire them. It’s something that I do back home, but to come to Chengdu in China and play with the local kids – it’s nice."

“It was a fun time and great experience today," added Chung, who won the 2019 International Challenger Chengdu in his return to action this past July. "I’m happy to be back in Chengdu. I have great memories here and love to play here. My body feels healthy now and I hope to play well this time in the Chengdu Open."

Chung, who was sidelined five months of the season with a back injury, qualified and made the third round of the US Open, falling to eventual champion Rafael Nadal. Auger-Aliassime is looking to bounce back after a first-round exit to countryman Denis Shapovalov in New York. The Canadian reached his first tour-level quarter-final here last year as a qualifier.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/auger-a ... hool-visit

[Kamileki]

[Kamileki]

[Damian]

Felix Auger-Aliassime

There’s something in the water in Canada right now, with Denis Shapovalov bagging himself a seeding at the Australian Open at the age of 19, and 18-year-old Bianca Andreescu surging through qualifying in the women’s draw, winning her first round before going down in three sets to No.13 seed Anastasija Sevastova.

Waiting in the wings to join them is another 18-year-old: Auger-Alliassime, who lost in the second round of qualifying on his Australian Open debut. The Montreal native, who teamed up with Shapovalov to win the junior Davis Cup title in 2015, shares a birthday with Federer, and has the silky game to match. Having collected his third and fourth Challenger titles in 2018 – three on clay, and his first on hard in Tashkent in October – the 2016 US Open junior champion’s senior breakthrough may not have arrived as quickly as his friend Shapovalov, but it’s coming.

https://ausopen.com/articles/features/f ... out-ao2020

[Kamileki]

Szanghaj M-1000 R2:

16 John Isner 1940
17 Félix Auger-Aliassime 1681
18 Stan Wawrinka 1670

[Kamileki]

[Damian]