	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

CITI OPEN

August 1, 2019

Felix Auger-Aliassime

Washington D.C.

M. CILIC/F. Auger-Aliassime

6-3, 6-4

Q. Felix, on serve today, was it the conditions that you just felt that you just couldn't get into rhythm and feel like you could be able to place it into the box today?
FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Yeah, so I don't know what it was, but I couldn't figure it out, and it was just really tough out there today. It was just -- in every way, I just felt like I couldn't even play close to what I'm able to.

Q. What are your takeaways from a match like this this afternoon? Obviously you didn't win, but you came here to Washington, had a good match yesterday, and going forward to the Rogers Cup and beyond?
FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: I don't know exactly what I'm going to take from that for sure. Not a lot of good things from today. I mean, every loss for sure is an opportunity to improve. Today has shown that I need to improve a lot of things still, but I'll just take the days that I have before Rogers Cup to see what I can work on before starting there.

Q. What's the story behind your service preparation? I've watched it quite a bit, and it's very fluid and reminds me of kind of tai chi or yoga, but it's very powerful at the end. What's the mindset behind that?
FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: I don't know, I just naturally serve like that. Yeah, I kind of move sometimes, but that's just kind of my motion, but it doesn't come from anywhere in particular. That's the first time I've heard that. Yeah, I don't know, it's just my natural motion.

Q. Stefanos locked himself in a room for three days after he lost the first round at Wimbledon, and that's how he got over that. I know this tournament is not as -- it's not a Grand Slam, so how do you get over these tough spots? How do you bring yourself back up to a mentality that can defeat your next opponent?
FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: I mean, now I'm going to go back to Montreal -- I mean, I have a tendency to lock myself, but for sure, I mean, I don't think you would want to have dinner with me tonight. But again, I'm going to go back to training, and that's just how I'm going to -- that's how I'm going to live with it. There's not much I can do anymore except going back to training, try to improve, and that's what I will try to do.

Q. You obviously get a lot of attention kind of everywhere you go now, but looking ahead to going to Montreal, how do you kind of have to get yourself in the right mindset to not only go there and play a difficult tournament but also you're going to be dealing with a lot more media requests when you go home? Do you have to kind of do something to make sure you tune all of that out, or is that your agent's job?
FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: For sure my agent will help, but I have to -- I mean, yeah, for sure I have to block it out. I don't have to change my routine because of that. It is a big tournament, but it's a tournament like all the other ones. There's matches to play. I have to prepare. I have to do my routines. That doesn't change.

I think I will go out there and keep doing what I'm doing, but with for sure a bit of adjustments to not lose too much energy outside of the court.

Q. How did you feel the conditions were today? And I'm wondering big picture how you handle some of that, the humidity and the summer conditions and what you might face over the next few weeks, especially Cincinnati and New York?
FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: I mean, the humid conditions are fine. Like there was a bit of wind in the second set, but that was all normal. I just played really bad today. I mean, probably one of the worst matches this year I've played. I don't know, it was just very tough.

But I think the conditions are normal, something I'm used to. I think I'll just have to improve on my side.

Q. Even in today's match, in a match like this, you still showed that competitive spirit, that promise that has brought you and risen you up the ranks throughout the last few years and this year, and you had that backhand one-handed pass on Marin today where even with the match's result, if you sum up how you showed again that you can showcase some flair and passion on the court even in a tough moment like today?
FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Yeah, for sure. I appreciate that. But I mean, I try to do my best. It's tough. It's not always easy. Today was a very tough day for me. But I tried to bring the best of me. Sometimes I'm not proud of myself with what I'm doing, but I try to do whatever I can. In a way I was able to do that. I had a brief point at 4-All it could have turned my way, but for sure I'm going to fight to earn what I want, yeah.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297