Although he didn't shine at the Australian Open, Felix Auger-Aliassime quickly found his form and by winning the ATP tournament in Montpellier opened the door to greater success.
The 25-year-old appeared worried after having to retire from his Australian Open first-round match due to cramps. The Canadian tennis player, however, embarked on a new adventure not long after, where he defeated Stan Wawrinka, Arthur Fils, Titouan Droguet and finally Adrian Mannarino, and reached the title.
The Canadian tennis player was full of emotions after the big victory, and he also had words of praise for Adrian Mannarino, an experienced tennis player who, despite his age, still strives to remain competitive on the tennis scene.
"Adrian is always a very tough opponent to play I think for all players.
That’s why I think, you know, myself and all our peers on tour have so much respect for him and the career and the challenges he poses on the court.
So, you know, I knew it was going to be tough match today. I’m very happy, it’s amazing emotions to win again here, I mean I’m thrilled, I’m thrilled with my whole week and especially today."- he said, as quoted by The Tennis Gazette.
The challenge of playing against a left-handed player
Mannarino is a demanding rival, mostly because he is left-handed, and Auger-Aliassime pointed out that he had not played against left-handers for a long time, so on the return it represented a completely different challenge.
Although he admits that he ran into problems, he tried to stay focused and hold his serve, aware that it was his key chance. In the end, the Canadian is satisfied with his game and the way he handled the serve.
This kind of victory can certainly be a strong motivation for a young tennis player who has the ambition to improve further in the ATP rankings this year and try to play as well in Grand Slam tournaments.
It will be interesting to see how much Auger-Aliassime can do in the coming weeks and whether this win will be the start of one of his most successful seasons.
