A little riddle to start the week. It is from my mother-in-law.
Posted at 7:45 a.m.
“Do you know how to recognize a rattlesnake?
— …
– Don’t worry. When you meet one, you will know it. »
Even after 20 years, she still makes me smile. What is true for rattlesnakes is also true for future tennis champions. When you see one, you know it. Quite simply.
In the spring of their career, the champions progress rapidly. 500e. 250e. 100e. 50e. 25e. They grow fast, fast, fast. Sometimes, a little all crooked. They get lost. They go into a spin. They must be attached to the tutor. Then one day they hatch. In just one time.
Pop.
That’s what happened with Leylah Fernandez last summer at the US Open. The Quebecer had eliminated in quick succession three of the five best players in the world, as well as a former number one. A few months later, here she is again a quarter-finalist of a Grand Slam tournament, with excellent chances of reaching the final. I’ll come back to that in two minutes.
At the same time, we have been waiting for this great moment from Félix Auger-Aliassime for three years. Not that he struggles. On the contrary. At 21, he is already among the top 10 in the world. He also participated in 10 finals. Except that he lost nine of them, that he has difficulty facing the players of the top 10 and that he barely plays for .500 on clay. Unsurprisingly, expectations for spring – the season for red clay – were modest.
The beginnings were disastrous. Auger-Aliassime bowed to opponents much less well rated than him. Then in Rome, two weeks ago, he found himself facing the world’s leading player, Novak Djokovic. An excellent player on clay. Auger-Aliassime offered him solid opposition in a 5-7, 6-7 loss. Djokovic was impressed. ” [Félix] improved on clay, commented the Serb this weekend. We had two very tight races in Rome. I was surprised at the accuracy of his serve. »
Sunday, the Quebecer had an appointment with another legend. The Ogre of Ocher. The King of Paris. Rafael Nadal. Do you know how many players have beaten the Spaniard at Roland-Garros in all history?
Five ?
Less.
Four ?
Lower.
Three ?
Even lower. Only two: Djokovic (twice) and Robin Söderling. Whereas Auger-Aliassime, before this year, had not even won a single match at Roland-Garros. This tells you the difference between the two players.
However, Auger-Aliassime resisted. Much longer than expected. In fact, he almost won. Until the middle of the fifth round, we really believed in it. Felix attacked his opponent relentlessly. Like a hungry panther. And the King was afraid. For a very rare time in his career, in Paris, Nadal found himself in the position of prey, rather than that of predator. The Spaniard had to pull off exceptional shots at the end of the game to beat the Quebecer in the snatch, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6 and 6-3.
Over the past two weeks, Auger-Aliassime has not defeated a champion. Except that he proved he could stand up to the best players in history on clay. It’s already a feat. He also pushed Daniil Medvedev (2e in the world) at the limit, in January, on the surface of choice of the Russian, in Melbourne. And he eliminated Roger Federer on the grass last summer at the Halle tournament.
“Félix is getting closer,” his trainer Fred Fontang told The Team. After his match against Medvedev in Melbourne, the one against Djokovic in Rome and that one, we can say that it is positive. He creates opportunities. At some point it will pass. »
As it passes, now, for his young compatriot Fernandez. The young Quebecer (17e) has just successively eliminated Belinda Bencic (14e) and Amanda Anisimova (27e). Here she is in the quarter-finals. The most encouraging? She is now the highest ranked player in her half of the table. A second Grand Slam final in less than 10 months is now just a possibility. It is a very real probability. If she keeps up the momentum and wins all of her matches this week, she could reach No. 4 in the world – and equal Bianca Andreescu’s Canadian record.
For Fernandez as for Auger-Aliassime, their career has just passed the spring stage. Make way for summer – and for the most beautiful days.