ROTTERDAM | In his first match since his fourth-round elimination at the Australian Open, Félix Auger-Aliassime says he’s ready to get back in the game and is showing great confidence, but he doesn’t take anything for granted.
• Also read: Félix Auger-Aliassime: back to the beginning
• Also read: Félix Auger-Aliassime slips down one place
In this first duel he meets Lorenzo Sonego, who is 60th in the ATP. Auger-Aliassime has seen the Italian’s ability to perform well against a player much better placed than him.
Sonego defeated Denis Shapolov in a duel between Canada and Italy in the Davis Cup semi-finals last November in Malaga in a more than three-hour duel.
“He’s serving a lot better than in previous years,” he said. It’s always a danger when you face a good server. He can also go online if he sees an opportunity. »
“Sonego is a dangerous player and it’s not an easy first game,” the FAA continues. I’ll have to play my best tennis at least at certain points in the match to get through to the next round. I feel ready but he can also have a good game. »
At a table of just 32 players, Frédéric Fontang believes there are no tourists.
“As in golf, the winners move from one tournament to the next because the level is very tight,” emphasized the Auger-Aliassime coach. The level of play increases and the gap between players closes every year due to the quality of preparation. You must maintain your level throughout the game and get off to a good start in a best-of-three game. In the only duel between the two players, Auger-Aliassime won in straight sets in 2020 on clay in Hamburg.
Right Mindset
Despite the disappointment at the Australian Open, the 22-year-old racquet claims to be in good shape. “I had a bumpy tournament and didn’t play at my best level, but the most important thing is to stay disciplined in the way I do what I want to do,” he said. When I returned to Monaco I took two or three days off and resumed training and working on the basics. »
“I win most of my points on the first three strikes and we’re not going to reinvent tennis,” continued Auger-Aliassime. I also want to keep improving my serve return and backhand. »
Fontang agrees. “Félix had an average first Grand Slam, but he won matches despite not playing his best tennis, which is very important and distinguishes the best from everyone. His state of mind is good. »
Live from Rotterdam
The third favorite of the 50th edition of the Rotterdam tournament, Auger-Aliassime, is of course on the program of the event, but his photo is also at the VIP entrance of the Rotterdam Ahoy with Stefanos Tsitsipas, finalist 2022 and favorite this year. After an hour-long training session on Monday with Denmark’s Holger Rune, Auger-Aliassime attended a promotion for the tournament early in the afternoon, signing autographs for around fifteen minutes.
After a training session in Monaco and another in Spain, “FAA” arrived in the Netherlands on Thursday for final preparation. Besides Rune, he also trained with Russian Daniil Medvedev and German Alexander Zverev.
50th edition of ABN Amro
For the 50th edition of the tournament, there are three past winners of the tournament. Auger-Aliassime last year, as well as Andrey Rublev in 2021 and Stan Wawrinka in 2015. The latter can claim his protected classification after suffering an injury. He made his debut on Monday evening against Alexander Bublik from Kazakhstan.
Gaël Monfils also had to step into action again. The Frenchman and new dad had benefited from a pass from the organizers since withdrawing in the last 16 in Montreal last August but is not yet ready for his return. Monfils won the 2019 and 2020 editions when he defeated “FAA” in the finals.
The bike in the spotlight
Bicycles are everywhere in Rotterdam. Residents ride their bikes to work in the morning, to school, to go shopping or just for the fun of cycling.
There are reserved lanes downtown for cyclists, as well as places to park their bikes while they go about their business.