"He's never unpolite; he has a fantastic attitude on the court and outside the court" - Gilles Simon heaps praise on Felix Auger-Aliassime
French veteran Gilles Simon has heaped praise on Canadian youngster Felix Auger-Aliassime following the latter's win in the third round of the 2022 Paris Masters.
Auger-Aliassime beat the retiring veteran, 6-1, 6-3, to seal his spot in the quarterfinals of the tournament, where he will square off against Frances Tiafoe.
In his post-match press conference, Simon raved about his Canadian counterpart, saying he had a great attitude and fighting spirit.
"I think it's someone who has a fantastic attitude on the court and outside the court. He says nothing on the court. He has a great attitude. He's full of will. He's always fighting for it. He started very early. He beat a lot of records of youth. I think he was in the top 30 at 9 or 10 years old (smiling)? No, actually," Simon said.
The Frenchman continued his praise for Auger-Aliassime, saying he was polite and humble. He also had an opportunity to interact with the Canadian's coaching staff and said he admired their approach.
"But he's never unpolite. He says hello, bye-bye, It's a pleasure to play against you. Whereas maybe for you, well, you know how it works," Simon continued. "When a player plays well, he's boasting he's gonna be the future No. 1 in the world. He says, No, I'm just fine. I'm going to climb gradually. And I was able to talk with his staff, and I liked their approach. I find him very humble for someone who is so good, who is so early."
Simon further added how Felix Auger-Aliassime isn't afraid to ask questions and clear his doubts.
"When he was asking me questions, I was having fun. It was at a point in time of my career, you talked about the book, where we were told, You shouldn't doubt, et cetera. And he was coming up with his doubts. He's 16, he's No. 30, he has been progressing like that since he was born," Simon said.
"He says, On my game at 5-4 when I serve for the set, I don't know how to play, my heart start beating faster, Rafa is taking time, I don't understand. So I found this fantastic. He was asking himself 1,000 questions about that. When we would have said, Why do you doubt, you're a big bison, you just have to serve. That's why I say he's there, he sees there's a problem, he tries to solve it. He already has the right approach," he added.
"He leaves nothing to chance" - Gilles Simon on Felix Auger-Aliassime
Gilles Simon continued to sing the praises of Felix Auger-Aliassime. Speaking further about his nature and approach to the game, Simon said that the young Canadian was "full of humility."
"I know from that point onwards he will be very strong. He leaves nothing to chance," Simon said in his press conference. "He knows where he's good, where he's not good, where he has to work. It's an approach full of humility for someone who is being told all day long that he's tall, beautiful, and strong, because that's what he is."
Simon concluded by saying that Felix Auger-Aliassime possesses an optimal balance between confidence and humility
"I love this contrast. I love what he has, this great balance between this trust and confidence and humility that enables him to say, 'where can I improve, what can I work on, and how can I improve all the time'," Simon added.