Félix Auger-Aliassime lost, again. The Quebecer is going through the darkest period of his young career, but like the captain of a ship in fog, he is master of his destiny. He is simply waiting to find his star to get out of the impasse.
Four hours and seven minutes. This time corresponds to the duration of the only match played by Auger-Aliassime this year at Wimbledon. Monday, 12eworld-ranked player fell to Michael Mmoh, 119eworld player. Coming from qualifying, the American had never won more than two consecutive matches in the Wimbledon main draw before.
Auger-Aliassime came to the All England Club in London affected and diminished, judging by his mummified left knee. Beyond his troubles with this nerve joint of the leg having forced him to rest in recent weeks, the darling of Canadian tennis fans has never been in the game. He started his match slowly. He made it a habit. However, he was never able to find his bearings, in addition to struggling on most of his strikes. To such a point where we almost wanted the match to end to ease his suffering.
Besides, if it’s not a knee that prevents him from competing, it’s a shoulder or gastric problems. In short, even if he plays less, it’s not an easy season for him.
If the results are delayed, it is mainly because of his injuries. Never before had Auger-Aliassime had to negotiate with so many health issues. He was spared for a long time. Let’s not forget how eventful the end of the last season was.
If some are worried or perplexed by the turn of events, it is essential to put things in context.
In decline
As many editors ofHello Police in a time now gone, the facts don’t lie. Auger-Aliassime has been playing for just over .500 since the start of 2023, with a record of 13 wins and 12 losses. For a player of his caliber, it’s almost unacceptable.
This performance has made him lose six places in the world rankings since January and positions him at 36e rank in the ATP race, a ranking taking into account only the results of the current season. Auger-Aliassime is preceded by Arthur Fils, Sebastian Baez and Christopher Eubanks…
“It’s a tough time right now for my young career,” he said crestfallen after his loss at Wimbledon on Monday. After all, I have to be patient. Of course, these are difficult weeks and months. I have to keep working the right way, be patient and trust that the results will come back. »
see the light
Precisely, time is without a doubt the best ally of the new ambassador of the CHU Sainte-Justine Foundation.
The most important data of all remains his age: 22 years old. Beneath his air of an established and polished veteran, we tend to forget or overlook the fact that the big right-hander is in fourth place among the youngest members of the top 15after Carlos Alcaraz, Holger Rune and Jannik Sinner.
Despite the troubles, Auger-Aliassime has not lost her identity. And even less its DNA. Just a few weeks ago, the day before his withdrawal from Halle, he said this to The Press “I’m a player who wins a lot of points in the first four shots of the rally, including the serve, so it’s an important game on grass. The adjustment is perhaps faster than for other players. My travels too. »
I’ve never had trouble moving on grass, it’s an important part and it’s quite natural.
Felix Auger-Aliassime
The only thing he will have lost is confidence. Indispensable in today’s tennis. However, these kinds of impromptu sequences are part of the learning process. Just look at Casper Ruud’s progression curve to be convinced.
At the start of the campaign, the 24-year-old was unrecognizable. He was unable to chain the victories. Until the spring, before arriving on clay, he had lowered the flag in six of his first eleven games. In the space of a few weeks, he triumphed at Estoril and reached the final at Roland-Garros.
PHOTO ALASTAIR GRANT, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Casper Ruud
The idea is not to compare Ruud and Auger-Aliassime, because the Norwegian has a significant head start. Their talents are similar, but Ruud’s accomplishments are far greater. He was one win away from claiming No. 1 in the world last year at the US Open.
The point is rather to prove that everything happens in its time for a young player of the caliber of Félix Auger-Aliassime. He will soon return to the hard surface, his favorite surface. Like Ruud when he walked on clay again, the Quebecer could find his wings.
The first half of the 2023 season is to be forgotten. Figuratively, but not literally. “I’m going to see what I can do to learn, do better in the future and bounce back the right way,” he recalled on the All England Club podium in his Adidas tracksuit.