	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

U.S. OPEN

September 11, 2016

Felix Auger-Aliassime

New York, NY, USA

F. AUGER-ALIASSIME/M. Kecmanovic

6-3, 6-0

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You're out there, have two of the best players in the game right now playing on the stadium. Kind of a short dropshot away from you. Emotions there with you with them? What's it feel like here and what's going on there and you're finishing up your match?
FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Yeah, it was kind of funny. It was not the same atmosphere as yesterday, I would say. Yesterday was pretty packed up and it was good atmosphere on the court.

Today was a bit dead because at the same time they had the men's final. I really had to push myself. You know, sometimes you've got to play by yourself. I look around and find solutions outside. It can help, but I really try to focus and win my match, yeah.

Q. After what happened in Paris, how satisfying is this for you to win this?
FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Yeah, it's obviously really great. Yeah, obviously I'm not gonna lie. I had some nightmares about this heartbreaking final. You don't really want it to happen again.

So I was really focused on going into this match. I really wanted that win. Yeah, it's obviously a great feeling. Yeah.

Q. Your opponent said you just played too good. How do you rank your performance today in all the performances you've had in your career?
FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Yeah, I think it was one of the best performance I have had. And also in the final you never know what can happen. You know, you don't always play your best level because you're a bit nervous and there is something big to go get.

But, yeah, I just stayed really steady. My serve, first-serve percentage, was really high today. I had a few aces, so of course it helps.

And in the second set I think I was really going through him and putting a lot of pressure on him, yeah.

Q. I think you were serving at 4-2 in the first set and you were down 15-40, I think. I think that might have been the only break points that he had.
FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Yeah.

Q. How important do you think it was for your confidence and for maybe his, you know, for you to get back in that there?
FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Yeah, I think there was a pretty good, pretty big game to go get. After, you never know what's gonna happen. Maybe he gets back in the match and he gets more pumped.

Anyway, I would have been on the -- on the next game would have been mentally prepared, so I didn't put too much importance on that game. Because you didn't want to get nervous at 4-2 in the first set because you're down a break point.

Yeah, it was great to fight and get that game.

Q. And it was your serve that kind of bailed you out of that, would you say?
FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Yeah. I had two good first serves, if I remember well.

Yeah, of course the serve was there today. I didn't really hesitate. I didn't look at the score that was down. I just went for my shots, and that's what I do best, yeah.

Q. In theory, you've got another two years of junior career ahead of you.
FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Yeah.

Q. Is this win gonna change anything in your future plans?
FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Yeah, it might. It might, because I have already had some good wins at the pro level. I know I can compete with these guys.

And now being able to win a slam, make a final on two different surface, I think it might be time to go to the next level. But you never know what's gonna happen next year. If I want to go back and play the junior Grand Slams, I will. Yeah, we'll see how it goes, yeah.

Q. How exciting a time is it for Canadian tennis? Obviously Denis had a good win a couple months ago, and now you. What's the general fight like at the moment?
FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Yeah, it's pretty cool for the Canadian tennis. I'm happy for all of us. I'm happy for the people that work with us. They have put in so much work.

Obviously I was very proud of Denis' win. I'm sure he probably texted me already to congratulate me because he's one of my good friends.

But, yeah, it's great to see us having success like this. I hope we can reach the highest stage.

Q. When you're looking at turning pro, how much do you follow what other guys, other teenagers, have been able to do at the next level? Casper Ruud just won a challenger today. Do those sort of things influence you or you think differently about yourself, or is it all just about you?
FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: I mean, I think everyone has his own path. Some guys, they win early in juniors but it doesn't go as well in the pros.

A guy like Taylor won the US Open last year and was top 100 the year after. No, everyone is kind of different. We'll see how my body feels after this year. We'll make the adjustments that we need to do, yeah.

Q. Is being No. 1 junior, does that have any significance for you?
FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Not so much, I would say, honestly. I think the junior level is really great to play the Grand Slams. You know, you kind of get the feeling of the environment and you see the big guys next to you and you have the chance to see these unbelievable tournaments.

But after all, it's really in the pro circuit that that is really important. Obviously I would want to be No. 1 in the world. It would be a big bonus, but that's not what we are aiming for here.

Q. After the French Open you said you had to go back to school. Is that the same thing now?
FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Yeah, same thing. Not quite, because I'm leaving for junior Davis Cup in a few days in Hungary. Yeah, obviously school's gotta keep going. Yeah.

Q. Can you explain to us what you have experienced during the week leading up till today, till your win?
FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Yeah, it wasn't an easy week. I have had some tough matches in the first rounds. It's never easy to come to a Grand Slam. You know, you've reach a final before, but every opponents are still going to be tough. You still have to go win and win every match. There is no free rounds.

Yeah, it was tough. Also with the heat and my health it was kind of difficult at some points, but that's where you have to mentally stay calm, stay on your feet, and just take it one day at a time. Yeah.

Q. Can you tell us how tall you are?
FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: 1 meter 88, so 6'2", 6'2.5". Not 6'3" yet.

Q. Have you been growing lately?
FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: I haven't looked at it so much, but yeah, obviously I have been growing. Yeah, I feel it in my game, I feel it in everything.

But, yeah, I have been growth a few inches in the last year, yeah.

Q. You have played a whole week with the serve clock. Do you have any impressions on that, whether that's good for the game or whether it made any difference to you?
FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: I don't know. Maybe I'm not the right person to ask because I don't really look at it. It's kind of -- I try really not to look at it, because it's kind of in weird places. Sometimes you have to look up, so I'm not really comfortable with that.

It's good. I think it helps everyone around and I think it helps the umpire to make the calls. Yeah, it's not bad.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297