US OPEN

August 31, 2025

Felix Auger-Aliassime

Press Conference

F. AUGER-ALIASSIME/A. Zverev

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

THE MODERATOR: Felix, your thoughts on the match.

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Yeah, it was good, obviously. Yeah, I was feeling well. I had a tough start, but then after, like a bit nervous, to be honest, even though I've faced these players in these situations. It was just a bit of nerves.

Once that got away, I felt good. It's nice because it just, yeah, it's been a work in progress, and I feel like tonight everything came together very nicely, and all the things I've been working on have paid off tonight.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Well played. I remember how disappointed you were losing your opening match in Toronto. What have these last couple weeks been like to give you the belief that maybe something like this could be possible?

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Honestly, I didn't spend too much time thinking about the loss in Toronto. Like, I moved on quickly.

No, I was training good, I was feeling well. You know, a match is a match. Anything can happen. It was quite windy that night too. It was very different conditions.

You just go on to the next tournament and try to prepare for that one, in Cincy, and then same thing here again. For sure, as the weeks went on, at least in the practice I felt like I was doing things really well. Mentally, you know, more clarity, in my game, and how I want to play.

So for sure, yeah, performance like this doesn't fall out of the sky, but you never know also when you're going to play that level on any given day, you know.

Q. How important is it for a result like this to kind of validate the work you've been doing? Back in Cincy, you were talking about trusting the process and...

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Yeah, well, it's a great boost of confidence, for sure. Encouraging for myself, my team, everybody that's been supporting me.

But, you know, myself first, it's just like I try to always stay ambitious, professional, and to take care of every detail throughout the years. It can be frustrating when it's maybe not paying off as much, but that's the life of most players. You have to accept it and I think be humble in losses.

It's no different than when I was a bit younger. It's the same process. And then you have to be patient. You have to be patient and trust that, like, if you have clear intentions in your practice and when the match comes that results like this will come.

Q. You said that you never are quite sure, even though you're doing all of the hard work, when it will all come together. But did you have a sense tonight that maybe there was a wonderful performance in you, like 50 winners, a great level at a slam? Did you have a clue it was coming?

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: No, you can't predict it. Some athletes might sit here and be like, Yeah, I woke up this morning and I knew. That's BS -- excuse my language -- but you don't wake up knowing that.

You just feel like, okay, you know what you want to do. Like, I know what I wanted to do. I did it well.

Now, do you know which night it's going to fall or which day? You don't know.

Yeah, obviously I woke up feeling positive, but even in Cincy, I lost 0 and 2 to Sinner, also woke up feeling I was going to win. You never know, really (smiling).

Q. Was there one point in tonight's match where you thought this is my night?

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Well, not after the first. It was difficult, but it was encouraging that I got a break on his serve, even though he was serving great. Towards the end of the first set I felt like, okay, I was getting chances on the return. I felt like, okay, after the slow start I'm hitting the ball well. My ideas were clear, my game plan was clear, so I had to keep going.

Then the second, I have to give him credit. I was knocking at the door, Love-30, Love-30 a few times, and then he kept coming up with good serves and the tiebreak was so tight. I'm really glad that went my way because that kind of opened the door to, like, be a bit more free and be like, okay, one set all now, start over again. Knowing that I can dominate the rallies.

Q. What is it about the US Open? This is your best Grand Slam and best result you had in New York. What is it about playing in New York that's so special?

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Well, New York and Australia, hard courts, obviously for me I think is better. I can well play on grass too and clay, but over the years I do feel that -- I mean, we also play the majority of events on hard courts and it suits my game. I feel like at some point you can kind of get a rhythm and get comfortable on the surface, at least for me.

Yeah, I think that's one of the reasons. And then, I don't know, what else? Tough to say. Do I like the crowd's energy or the city? I don't believe in all that stuff. I'm more practical, like, okay, how am I playing? For sure, I feel like, you know, these conditions suit me well.

Q. You mentioned on court you've been playing for a while even though you're still young. How much do you view that as an asset and something that's helpful to you and how much is it something that spurs you on to achieve, to get to where you want to be?

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: I think it helps me. You know, tough last two years, but, like, I don't see anybody on tour and I don't think they see me either, but I feel like it's different when I came on and you have to play Novak or Rafa, like these guys, like, grew up watching them, it's just tough to have that same kind of belief.

But having played these guys, even Jannik who obviously beat me in Cincinnati, but we have a lot of respect for each other, but we also, you know, kind of are the same age. It's different, me looking at them or looking at the legends of our sport.

Obviously I think it helps that I was also at a good level at a young age, and now I have, you know, like, the goal or, like, the challenge for me now is to challenge these guys and get back up to a higher level of consistency.