THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 7, 2026

Felix Auger-Aliassime

Press Conference

N. DJOKOVIC/F. Auger-Aliassime

7-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-7, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Felix, tough defeat for you. Give us your thoughts on the match.

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Yeah. Sorry, I'm a bit dizzy.

THE MODERATOR: Take your time.

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Look, I mean, to make it brief, amazing fight, amazing battle with a legend of our sport. It is what it is. Obviously it's tough for me. Quarters in Paris. Here. I had other chances in my career where tight matches like this didn't go my way.

I'll have to see what I can do so it goes my way the next time. For now, I can be proud of the fight and then I move on, move on to what's next.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Do you feel at certain points, tight moments, the result of this match was on your racquet?

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: I had a lot of belief. I don't think belief was a problem. I think after one set all, it was just this one game in the third set, I lost focus. After more than two-and-a-half hours of being very focused with him, I lost a little bit my focus.

Fourth set I was fortunate to come back. He also had lost focus, a dip, to give me a chance to come back in the fourth set. Then I thought I played good, good tiebreak.

But yeah, I think in the end he proves again that he's good when he needs to. He's solid, more solid than I was, when he needs to. Yeah, it's game styles. I think his game style is a little bit more consistent and solid in the tight moments than mine.

But again, he's so impressive with so many things he does. The quality of his serve is probably one of the best in the draw. The return obviously we know. Every second-serve return he makes you play, hits the deep target. We know, because we've seen him so much, but it's so impressive that he does it time and time again.

Q. That was the longest match of your career. How different does a tiebreak feel at the end of such a long match? Where was your head at during that final stretch?

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: To be honest, I had a lot of belief until the end. I was trying to serve well, trying to not go for too much, trying to play the smartest shot at every moment.

Obviously sometimes one of the players is going to have to risk at some point a little bit more at certain points. But it didn't pay off for me.

I can't remember, I had Love-30 on one return game. I pulled a backhand down the line. If I make this one, better target, maybe Love-40. That was a little bit momentum.

Do I regret maybe not just staying in the point? Maybe. But those are choices you make on the court and you have to live with.

Q. You said parts of your game don't feel as solid as his in the big moments. What doesn't feel solid for you?

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: I think no, it's just game styles. I've watched plenty of Novak over the years. I've analyzed a lot of his matches, whether it's here, other Grand Slams. Even at times when he wasn't playing his best, beating Roger here 2019. You just feel like in tiebreaks or tight moments, either he serves well or he makes you play the extra shot. Just keeps you in a position where you can't attack him, but he neutralizes you until he waits for a mistake.

So yeah, his game style, it's not my natural game style. I'm more trying to play forward. But I'll have to learn how to manage that, when to go forward, when to be a bit more solid in a way.