US OPEN

September 3, 2025

Felix Auger-Aliassime

Press Conference

F. AUGER-ALIASSIME/A. De Minaur

4-6, 7-6, 7-5, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations. Great win. If you would, your thoughts on your level of play today.

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Yeah, well, glad to get the win, for sure, to be through and give myself a chance to play in the semifinals coming up. So that's the first thing that I'm really happy about.

Then the match was difficult in many ways, but I can, you know -- when you win, you give yourself time to improve and to give it another chance to play even better. So that's what I'll remember from today.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. It's a few years since you were in this position as a younger man. I just wonder, when the going was tough and you were having quite a few first-round defeats, did you ever doubt whether this moment might come again?

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Well, I didn't think about it much, because, I mean, I think it helps that, like, I had those moments pretty young in my career. Like, okay, if I was 35 now, maybe I would doubt if it would ever come again, like if I was losing first round back end of my career.

I think even those last few years I was young enough to think, okay, not that, like, will I be there, but I wasn't even thinking about that far away. I was more, like, okay, what do I need to improve, what's happening, which areas do I need to improve, what changes do I need to make?

That's really what I was focused about and was kind of more the day-to-day and the process.

Q. You spoke about the suit fitting on Monday, and obviously the wedding is a big part of your life. How involved have you been with the preparations, or have you been fully focused on the tennis? What would be more nerve-wracking, do you think, being in a semifinal of the US Open or walking down the aisle? (Laughter.)

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: That's a good question. I don't know. Good thing is I was in the semifinals before. Walking down the aisle, I have never done.

So, you know, when it's a first, it's a special feeling, for sure. I think people that were married can for sure relate, so I'm looking forward to it.

Yeah, the fitting, we'll see. I haven't thought about it much yet, but obviously we're probably going to have to postpone it. It's a quick turnaround.

In terms of the planning, no. I mean, I have to give her credit. She's done a lot. I'm not going to sit here and say I was involved just as much as she was.

She's been amazing for me, because getting engaged, I thought, well, it's a heavy season, a lot of tournaments that are important for me I need to focus on, so I won't have time to sit on every call and all the meetings and to go there in person and do all of that. She's been really good.

Q. I wanted to ask just about the second set. You're down, and it could have gone either way. In your mind, what was the difference that allowed you to win that set and ultimately level the match and get back in the match?

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: It's tough, man. It's tough. To be honest, I was struggling, just struggling to find, let's say, the level I found the last -- I mean, the whole tournament, really. It was my toughest match, you know, in this tournament so far.

But even down a break in the second, I was, like, okay, let's just believe that keep going for it, like, keep having the same intentions, not change much, but just, you know, believe that it's going to come back. Like it's going to come at some point. I'm going to connect a few and feel like, okay, yeah, here we go.

To break back immediately, I think that was a great response mentally and in the game. Then the tiebreak, I went down in the tiebreak, but not down enough that you'd think it's out of reach. I was, like, okay, just gotta win one clutch point and one important point and then you're back in this.

Then it was obviously very tight at the end. Could have gone either way, but came up with some good serves, some good shots. Yeah, once it was one set all, I felt, okay, I can settle into the match much more.

Q. Alex and you both agreed that it wasn't the prettiest game, but is it somewhat satisfying to escape an ugly game, show like mentally some toughness?

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: In a way, yes. I mean, even players that win Grand Slams, it's seven matches. If you play perfect or great seven matches, too good, right? But for sure there is going to be one, two, maybe three of them that are going to be, like, a struggle, and we have seen over the years.

So it was actually good for me, like, even when I made semifinals here or quarterfinals in the Australia, I would struggle a lot in my first rounds, like ugly matches, win in five sets.

So this tournament was actually different. I only lost a set until today. So it was actually a great start of the tournament.

Today, both Alex and I struggled big time at moments, but yeah, it was about having that belief that it will come, and then when the moment is, you know, under pressure, that you will respond well.

Q. There has been a lot of talk about your mental the last couple of weeks, but was there any special preparation? Even the way you carry yourself on the court, you have been interacting more with the fans, even your dad showing up more from the box, was there any point there was a focus on just your mental coming into the tournament as a whole?

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: No, I mean, like, I have been like that for a while. It's no different.

I have been kind of that player or with that mindset. I mean, I think I had a similar question in 2021, actually, about my composure on the court.

I just try to be myself. I don't get too excited outside the court either, like in life in general. That's how I am. I don't try to be anybody different.

But, of course, sometimes in matches you get the energy going, but I don't try to fake it. I do it when I feel like the point deserves it. I do it when I feel like it's the right moment or after a big shot or that the energy of the crowd, you know, is also helping me to get myself pumped.

But there's moments in the match where sometimes you've got to spend 30 minutes, an hour even, without getting too excited, and you've just got to stay composed, stay calm, and keep playing your tennis.

So in terms of my preparation, nothing much different. Yeah, my dad, I don't know, he's usually calm. I don't know what's up with him. This tournament he's always up and cheering, so good for him.

Q. You're waiting for your semifinal opponent now. Will you watch the match? What do you think or expect the outcome will be? What are the strengths or weaknesses between Jannik and Lorenzo? What do you expect tonight will happen?

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Probably I'll watch. Yeah, I'll go back to the hotel now and watch. I like to watch matches, so that's no different.

I mean, strengths and weaknesses... Jannik, not many strengths, huh? A lot of weaknesses in his game. (Laughter.)

What to say about Jannik's game? He's been obviously untouchable at times. Honestly, the next match I'm not really going to focus on my opponent more than myself. I need to play good tennis.

I need to play even better than I did today, regardless of, you know, tactically what I want to do. I need to play at a high level in two days and then next round as well. There is no other way.

Q. You have done a lot of humanitarian work in Togo and with Jasmine Paolini, having a Ghanaian grandfather. You are probably as much the face of tennis in Africa as anybody right now. How important is it to you to raise the profile of tennis in Africa? What potential do you see in the continent in terms of maybe future players or maybe more ATP/WTA tournaments outside of Marrakech?

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Well, a lot to unfold here. In terms of my work, yeah, it's something that was important for me and my family to implement when the time was right in my career, and it started at the end of 2019. It's been going ever since.

We're proud of that part of my, let's say, career or life, you know, and getting to go there and see everything in person is very gratifying. Helps me also to have a bit of a perspective also with my career and seeing the challenges that some kids face there that I didn't face growing up.

So obviously, yeah, that work is great. In terms of the tennis, actually, you would need my dad in here. He'd be able to answer more than me because he's tried to get involved in the tennis there. Tennis is a big passion in life, and he's tried to get involved with tennis in his home country and around West Africa.

It's not easy. Like everything in the world, it takes time, and you need to build many things, infrastructures and the right coaching and the people that know about high-level game.

Hopefully, I would be the first one that would be happy if a player would break through from one of those countries and break through on the ATP Tour. In terms of ATP tournaments, it's also tough for the similar reasons that I said about infrastructure is to have some of the top-level tournaments in that part of the world.

Let's see. After I end my career, if I can be of any help, but for now, I'm going to focus on my tennis and my work that I do.

Q. How would you describe what Jannik has done the last two years? And what are your thoughts about the match you had most recently in Cincinnati?

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: He's improved a lot. Whenever I get asked, I give him credit. You have to give credit when it's due. When somebody does the work and they improve and they get to that level, you just have to tip your hat off.

Obviously that's what I hope to do in my career, as well, to improve it in such a way. Obviously the person scenario would have been to win against him in Cincinnati, and I think, like, let's say the medium scenario, the okay scenario, is having a chance to actually play him.

We hadn't played in some years, so if I get to play him in the next round, okay, I know more of what to expect, this is what he plays like today compared to 2022, and I was able to, you know, feel his game. So now, you know, I can really prepare and say, okay, this is what to expect, and I can go in, you know, knowing that.

Q. What is the biggest difference that you see from a couple of years ago until recently?

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Physicality, movement got much better, stronger physically, the serve, the forehand more precise, the backhand was always consistent, the return was always good, deep. Yeah, those are the main things.

Q. That's a lot.

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Yeah, it helps (smiling).