	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

ROGERS CUP

August 9, 2018

Felix Auger-Aliassime

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

D. MEDVEDEV/F. Auger-Aliassime

3-6, 6-4, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Happy birthday, first of all. Even though it's not the result you wanted, you still had the entire crowd behind you the entire time. Did that still make it pretty special to play in front of the home crowd?
FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Yeah, it was special from beginning to end.

You know, it's just they were there. They supported me. And I just felt like, you know, I didn't -- I missed a couple points to deliver.

And that's just very frustrating because that's not the way, you know, I thought it was going to finish. That's not the way I wanted to finish.

So it's always -- it's very disappointing.

Q. Yeah, just a few points at the end, Felix, obviously. But mentally, emotionally, where were you in that tie-break and did you feel like it slipped away or just the points went his way instead of yours?
FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: I think after being a break up in the third, I don't know. He stayed very solid. You know, maybe I didn't put as much first serve, you know, to keep holding my serve to keep my break alive. But I think he stayed, you know, very solid. Credit is to him.

In the tie-break, I don't know. I was feeling good. I've seen tie-breaks before. Like, I beat Vasek on a second set tie-break, probably similar conditions. It's things I've seen before. Like, my emotions were fine. I was playing okay.

It was just -- I don't know. Kind of, yeah, it slipped away out of my hands, yeah.

Q. What were the things that you felt like you were doing well tonight against someone like him who's been at the top of the game and plays a very high level of tennis?
FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: I think, you know, mentally I stayed in there. First set I think I played, you know, good tennis. I was pretty aggressive from the start. Returning well also.

I think I was able to put, you know, a lot of the returns against one of the good servers of the tour.

And I think -- I don't know. I think it was a good match. Just a couple points here and there that made the difference. Yeah.

Q. Those long, drawn-out rallies, the deuces that went on for multiple points, were those more mentally or physically draining by the end of the match?
FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: I think physically. I think mentally I was still there. You know, I was enjoying myself. The crowd was behind me.

And, you know, mentally I could have played another set, but it was just physically those long games were getting tiring. I was kind of feeling it, you know, into my legs and wasn't able to push as much on my serve. And that's probably a reason why I lost that third set.

Q. Obviously tough right now, but it was still a great match. You played an amazing match yesterday. What are the biggest positives that you're going to take forward from this week here in Toronto?
FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: I'll think about it tomorrow. To be honest, it's a very tough night tonight. I was seeing myself win this match. I was up. I had opportunities.

So, you know, when my head is going to be cleared tomorrow, I'll pick up the positives from this week. Because there's definitely a couple of good things, yeah.

Q. You played some of those clutch points with what looked like ice in your veins. You were executing very, very well. You saved, I think, three match points in the tie-breaker. And on some of them you looked a little nervous from an outsider's perspective. I don't know what's going on with you, but that's what I want to ask is how did it feel from your perspective on those big points?
FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: When your back against the wall, sometimes, you know, it's just the instinct that goes in. You know, you have to deliver. If you don't deliver, the match is over. So I had to, you know, pick myself up, you know, deliver some good serves, some good points.

But after when it goes on, you know, it just gets too much, and then you get a bit nervous and that's where the mistakes come in.

But I didn't feel more nervous than usual, no.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297