Until recently, the image of Félix Auger-Aliassime was impeccable. His rise was meteoric and his performance matched his potential. But the tide has turned in 2023.
Poor performances and injuries followed one another. His detractors were waiting for the right moment to confront him with his lack of consistency. For the first time in his young career, the 23-year-old Quebecer suffered a lot of criticism.
Due to a knee injury and another to a shoulder, Auger-Aliassime not only had to sacrifice several tournaments, but above all lower his flag in front of viable opponents. He finished the season with a record of 23 wins and 19 losses.
Auger-Aliassime, however, was serene, smiling and seemed much lighter than during the season when he spoke with La Presse on Tuesday morning from his property in Europe. He had just returned from training.
The tennis player broke the ice from the start: “It’s been a very complicated year. »
His assessment of the most recent season can only be summed up in one sentence: “This is the first year since the start of my young career where I have faced a different challenge from the past, where every year, it was better and better. »
At this time last year, he was sixth in the world rankings. When he woke up Tuesday morning, his name was at No. 29 on the leaderboard. “I finished 29th and that’s the reality. I accept it completely. I have no discomfort in the position I am in. »
However, just because he is at peace with this position does not mean he wants to stay there. The ranking nevertheless remains a good indicator of an athlete’s performance. Like a mirror, the ranking does no favors. It reflects a reality that is sometimes hard to accept.
Auger-Aliassime remembers too well his lowest period of the season. It happened in Toronto, on his birthday. On center court, he fell sharply in two sets to qualifier Max Purcell.
This defeat was his eighth in nine games. “It was complicated,” he remembers. Because I was having trouble even stringing together quality workouts. »
However, he is proud of the way he handled this lackluster sequence. Where the level and confidence were simply not there. “Psychologically, there were never any difficult moments. I had lows, but very brief. As soon as I lose the match in Toronto, I’m sad, I’m disappointed, but it passes very quickly. »
However, when he appears before the media following his defeats at the chain, he must face his responsibilities. Even if he admits to not reading what is written about him, he knows better than anyone that this period was the most complex of his career. So he didn’t need to be reminded of it every week.
In truth, the noise generated by the media or Internet users does not reach it. His priority was rather to continue to exist in the heads of his rivals.
“For me, that’s what’s important. It’s about maintaining the respect of my competitors. Since I was a teenager, I have always felt that I had my place among the best players in the world. And for me, it was more of a statement to say that I was not gone, that I had difficult months, but that I am at a level where I can beat the best players in the world. »
Auger-Aliassime was speaking at that time about his title won in Basel at the end of October. “It came to save the season, we can say that,” he said with a smile. The previous weeks of training had gone well and the right-hander maintained the desire to win again. He did so by defeating Holger Rune (6th in the world) in the semi-final and Hubert Hurckacz (11th in the world) in the final.
“It happened the way I wanted it to. It was a lot of satisfaction for my team and me after a very complicated year. It came through hard work, discipline, being as physically fit as possible and maintaining the belief that I can win. »
At 23, the winner of five ATP Tour titles is still a sponge. Every challenge is an opportunity to learn and grow.
For the first time, he had to deal with a body that didn’t want to contribute. The injuries recurred and undermined his performance. The left knee, in particular, became the stone in his shoe.
In particular, he forced him to miss more than a month of activity between Roland-Garros and Wimbledon, among others.
And this checkered season will have allowed the Quebecer to learn lessons. “Next time, we want to manage this phase better, to take the time it takes to get back on the court when I feel at a very good level, not just physical, but playing. We don’t want to repeat matches like at Roland-Garros where I was really injured and in bad shape. Or Wimbledon when I ended up hurting my knee during the match. »
In other words, Auger-Aliassime admits that the management of his injury was faulty, because he had never found himself in this situation before. “In the future, I’ll try not to take so much time. »
In the meantime, he already has his eyes set on the next season. He started intensive training again a few days ago and, at least, he will be able to take some time for himself before flying to Australia, unlike last season.
After devouring the documentaries Tour de France: au coeur de la peloton and Beckham, he will try to find something else to distract himself.
“It shows their mentality, their resilience, their passion. To what extent, as athletes, there is always this research within this physical and psychological limit. It motivated me to push this limit and make the necessary efforts, because you see that it can end up paying off. »
And it is precisely this desire to do more that will drive Auger-Aliassime in 2024.
