WATCH: Felix Auger-Aliassime urges crowd to give huge round of applause to World No. 1 Iga Swiatek at World Tennis League
Felix Auger-Aliassime led a big round of applause from fans and spectators for World No. 1 Iga Swiatek at the ongoing World Tennis League in Dubai. In a classy show of respect, Auger-Aliassime interrupted his post-match interview to urge the crowd to cheer for the Polish superstar and his World Tennis League teammate Swiatek.
Auger-Aliassime and Swiatek are teammates for the Kites at the exhibition mixed-team event in Dubai this week and are also joined by Eugenie Bouchard and Holger Rune. Both brought their A-games to the court on Monday, winning their respective matches to give the team its opening victory.
In his on-court interview after beating the Eagles' Nick Kyrgios 7-5, 6-3 in the deciding rubber, Auger-Aliassime spoke highly about Swiatek, leading a big cheer for her before reflecting on the Pole's incredible 2022 season.
"Here we've got the number one player in the world. Big applause for the number one player in the world, please," Felix Auger-Aliassime said, as the crowd then cheered for a beaming Swiatek.
"She's had an amazing year. If you all followed it, it's been amazing to see her evolve," the Canadian star added.
Big applause for the world number 1
👏👏👏 https://t.co/DELGcF0PWi
Earlier, Swiatek got the Kites up and running with a 6-3, 6-4 win over 2022 WTA Finals winner Caroline Garcia. The team was in a tough spot after the pairing of Kyrgios and Bianca Andreescu beat Rune and Bouchard in a mixed doubles tie to kickstart the match and the tournament. After Swiatek's win, Auger-Aliassime sealed the deal for the Kites.
Felix Auger-Aliassime returned the favor after Iga Swiatek's vote of confidence in him
Earlier, Iga Swiatek expressed high confidence in Felix Auger-Aliassime ahead of his match against Kyrgios. After her win against Caroline Garcia, Swiatek was asked about her teammate Auger-Aliassime's chances against Kyrgios in what promised to be a thrilling match between two in-form players, especially in a deciding rubber.
The Pole was quick to respond that Auger-Aliassime is a more solid player than Kyrgios and that "he got this."
"I think Felix is the one who is more solid, so he's got this," Swiatek said in her post-match chat.
Swiatek, Auger-Aliassime, and the rest of their Kites teammates will next take to the court on Thursday against the Hawks. The World No. 1 will take on Anett Kontaveit, while Auger-Aliassime will team up with Bouchard for a doubles match against Alexander Zverev and Elena Rybakina.