"I didn’t feel like I had a clear shot" - Felix Auger-Aliassime recalls five-set defeat to Rafael Nadal at 2022 French Open
Felix Auger-Aliassime is in the midst of a spectacular season that saw him bag three ATP titles and clinch a career-high ranking of No. 8 in August. These milestones were the result of several high-quality battles on the court, but a particular contest against Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros distinctly stands out as one of the highlights of the Canadian's season thus far.
At the 2022 French Open, Auger-Aliassime became just the third man to push Rafael Nadal to five sets in Paris, losing 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 3-6 to the eventual champion. The 22-year-old recently gave a thorough assessment of the match in an interview with The Slice Tennis, recalling how a solid serving performance helped him strike first.
"It was a strange match," Felix Auger-Aliassime said, adding, "I started off really well and felt like he was a bit tense and making unusual mistakes, right away I was serving great, which is always a big help for me. It just felt like things were going as well as they could in the first set."
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Highlights via @rolandgarros #RolandGarros
For only the third time in his career, Rafa Nadal was taken to five sets at the French Open. And he's now won all three matches.
What a superb match this was versus Felix Auger-Aliassime. 👏🏽
🎥 Highlights via @rolandgarros
https://t.co/ub4ATHCCCf
While the two were inseparable in the second set, a late break-point conversion gave the Spaniard the edge, who then did not drop his serve until the fourth set. The World No. 8 revealed that while a two-sets-to-one deficit drained him physically, he managed to pounce on opportunities and consolidate on his early 4-1 lead.
"We had a tight start to the second set, once he broke me for the first time I felt like things turned around. Then he won the set 6-3, and then 6-2, and I felt like "woah, I’m kind of seeing what Rafa really is at this stage". After being down 2 sets to 1 I got a bit tired physically. But somehow things turned around, I’m not sure why or how, but I got a second wind and started playing great again. I had some opportunities and I took them," the Canadian continued.
While the match hung in the balance at 4-3 with Auger-Aliassime serving, exquisite shot-making from Nadal allowed him to sweep the final three games of the match. The Canadian admitted that the former World No. 1's onslaught proved too much for him to handle, which eventually hampered his chances in the deciding set.
"In the 5th set, he was 4-3 up and I was serving. He just became so aggressive, things went so fast, he just hit amazing forehands and passing shots and then I just lost 2 games like that (snap). Him just playing amazing and me trying to hold on - and the match was gone. So I didn’t feel like I really had a clear shot," Felix Auger-Aliassime explained.
"It’s been my goal since the start of the year" - Felix Auger-Aliassime hopes to qualify for ATP Finals
In the same interview, Felix Auger-Aliassime spoke about his immediate goal of qualifying for the 2022 ATP Finals in Turin. With the likes of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz already in the mix, the season-ending tournament has just three spots left for grabs. A title at the Swiss Indoors this week could propel the 22-year-old within touching distance qualification.
Auger-Aliassime emphasized that he would earnestly strive to seal a maiden berth in the ATP Finals as it has been a goal of his since the start of the year.
"It’s been my goal since the start of the year, and now we are at the end, that last push to give to try and qualify in my position now, so I’ll try to give everything. But of course there are other goals like winning one title or multiple, that’s been done, so it’s a great feeling. At the end of the day you just want to play your best tennis and feel like you are close to what you are working for,” he said.
Felix Auger-Aliassime is slated to take on Alexander Bublik in the quarterfinals in Basel on Friday.