Watch out for the Félix first round match!

; DAY

ROTTERDAM | In his first game since his fourth-round elimination at the Australian Open, Félix Auger-Aliassime says he is ready to take back the collar and displays great confidence, but he takes nothing for granted.

< p>For this first duel, he will cross swords with Lorenzo Sonego who is 60th in the ATP. Auger-Aliassime saw up close that the Italian is capable of putting out a good performance against a much higher ranked player.

Sonego defeated Denis Shapolov in the duel between Canada and Italy in the Davis Cup semi-finals last November in Malaga in a battle lasting more than three hours. 

“He serves much better than in previous years,” he explained. It is always a danger when you face a good server. He is also able to step up to the net when he sees an opportunity. “

” Sonego is a dangerous player and it's not an easy first game, continues FAA. I will have to play my best tennis at least at certain points in the match to move on to the next round. I feel ready, but he can also have a good game too. »

In a roster of only 32 players, Frédéric Fontang believes that there are no tourists. 

“As in golf, the winners move from one tournament to another because the level is very close,” said the coach of Auger-Aliassime. The level of play is increasing and the gap is closing between the players every year due to the quality of the preparation. You need to 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 two sets in 2020 on clay in Hamburg, Germany.

Good state of mind

Despite the disappointment of the Australian Open, the 22-year-old racket claims to be in a good state of mind. “I had a bumpy tournament and not played at my best level, but the important thing is to stay disciplined in the line of conduct of what I want to do, he underlined. When I returned to Monaco, I took two or three days off and resumed training, working on the fundamentals. “

“I win most of my points on the first three strikes and we are not going to reinvent tennis, continues Auger-Aliassime. I also want to continue to improve my serve return and my backhand. »

Fontang agrees. “Félix had an average first Grand Slam, but he won games even though he was not playing his best tennis, which is very important and differentiates the best from all. His state of mind is fine. »

Live from Rotterdam

Third favorite of the 50th edition of the Rotterdam tournament, Auger-Aliassime is obviously on the program of the event, but his photo is also at the VIP entrance of the Rotterdam Ahoy in the company of Stefanos Tsitsipas, finalist in 2022 and favorite this year. After training for an hour on Monday with the Dane Holger Rune, Auger-Aliassime took part in a promotional activity for the tournament at the start of the afternoon, during which he signed autographs for about fifteen minutes. /strong>