"Djokovic once again stepping up & showing what a champion he is, was quite remarkable & inspiring for sure" - Felix Auger-Aliassime on Wimbledon final
Even before the 2022 Wimbledon Championships kicked off in June, Felix Auger-Aliassime decided to participate in the Hall of Fame Open. The ATP 250 tournament is organized every year at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Rhode Island's Newport city. The ninth-ranked Canadian became the first top-10 player to take part in the grasscourt event in its long history.
Before his first match, Aliassime practiced with World No. 52 Andy Murray over the weekend. In an interview with Tennis.com, the 21-year-old revealed that the two players discussed the then-upcoming Wimbledon final between Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios, both predicting the Serb's victory.
“Before the final, we were practicing together and discussing what we think is going to happen and how we saw the match going. To talk with a tennis mind like his, it's always cool," Aliassime said.
“We agreed. I predicted what happened for Djokovic in four sets. Andy thought maybe in three sets. But we all knew it could be tricky at the end of the day. We saw it was not an easy match, even for the one who won. It was interesting to see what Andy thought. Djokovic, once again, stepping up and showing what a champion he is, was quite remarkable and inspiring for sure," Aliassime added.
World number eight Felix Auger Aliassime warming up for the last match of the day here at the Newport Tennis Hall of Fame tournament! https://t.co/D3sIuvaqba
Aliassime received a first-round bye to set up a round of 16 clash against Australia's Jason Kubler. As the match approached its end, it was suspended due to poor light. Both players took one set against each other and World No. 102 Kubler was getting ready to serve at 5-6 in the third when the chair umpire made the decision. The match will be completed today and the winner will go on to meet Australia's James Duckworth in the quarterfinals.
"I first needed to accept the result" - Felix Auger-Aliassime on his first-round loss at Wimbledon
One of this year's biggest Wimbledon upsets came in the first round when Felix Auger-Aliassime lost to Maxime Cressy. The final score read 6-7(5), 6-4, 7-6(9), 7-6(5) in serve-and-volley specialist Cressy's favor. Reflecting on the early exit, the Canadian stated that he had higher expectations at Wimbledon, admitting that Cressy was better than him in important moments.
“My expectations were, of course, higher than what happened at Wimbledon. But I also know that there’s been difficult matches, I was finding a way to win. And this time, I couldn't find the solution in the moment. He was a little bit better than me when he needed," the Canadian said.
Annnd Kubler - Auger-Aliassime suspended due to light with Kubler serving at 5-6 in the third.
The Aussie is building on an amazing past six weeks, going toe-to-toe with Felix from the baseline in his first match ever against a top-10 player.
“When this happened, I needed first to accept the situation, accept the result, and also take that as an opportunity to see what I can improve and do better. I'll be facing tough opponents that will be against me playing their best, and I will have to find ways to get through if I want to win these tournaments. It’s all a learning experience, but it doesn't change my confidence or the expectations," Aliassime added.