MUTUA MADRID OPEN

May 3, 2024

Felix Auger-Aliassime

Press Conference

F. AUGER-ALIASSIME/J. Lehecka

3-3 [Ret.]

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. How are you dealing especially mentally with this strange week, having to be in focus but not that much time on the court?

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: I mean, yeah, I have never been in this situation, so not much to do on my side. Obviously feeling bad for the players that are dealing with injuries right now. Jiri, it was tough to see him go down like this today. He's a guy I practice with often. I have played him one time in Australia. We get along well. He's a good guy.

Yeah, I wish him all the best. It was tough to see that. I've had my share of injuries myself last year, and when you really love this sport, you love to play, yeah, when it's taken away from you like this, it's tough to deal with. Every player can relate.

But for now, yeah, not much I can do. I can just focus on the final and try to prepare, yeah.

Q. You played only 20 minutes on Manolo Santana in this tournament, and I think the conditions are different than other courts. If you think so, how do you manage it?

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: How many minutes, you said?

Q. How will you manage the conditions different than other courts?

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: No, I don't know if I heard well. I think you said I played 20 minutes?

Q. You played 20 minutes on this court.

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: On the court, yeah. But I played the first round also there.

Q. Yes, but only match.

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Yeah, but I don't know. It's okay, the court is good, obviously. But I played the first round also on the court.

Q. Yes, I know, but Rublev and you played less matches on this court. Do you think the conditions are different than others?

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Yeah, no, it's good. No problem. No problem with the conditions. It's a great court. I have played previous years on the court, so it's a great court.

I mean, yeah, it's a little bit different than the other ones, but at the end, I played the first round, I played on outside-court, I played on whatever court there.

So, no, it's okay. No problem.

Q. What this final mean for you after the first period of matches of tough season so far?

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Well, obviously, yeah, it's a great opportunity. It's first final of a Masters for me, new position to be in. These don't happen often, like, every week.

So we play a lot of matches, we train a lot, but when you get a chance like this, obviously you're very motivated, and I'm going to prepare this match very seriously but also not changing my routine and trying to prepare well for the match.

But yeah, it's almost, in a way -- yeah, last year I had my tough moments on tennis court, being injured. Now, start of the year, I played some good matches, but I felt like I was practicing better and better, playing well, and it was good. I got the best win of my season so far with Casper. Then after that, yeah, we all saw what happened.

I still think I showed throughout the tournament, throughout the weeks, that I'm practicing better, playing better and better. You know, there is this tournament and then obviously, if the season goes on, hopefully more good results come my way.

Q. You touched in one of your on-court interviews on the fact that it's a bit of a crazy time for the top guys at the moment, a lot of injuries. Does that concern you as a player, seeing that everyone is getting injured at the moment? What do you make of it? Do you think there could be a reason behind it?

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: I don't know. You know, when obviously there's a lot, we tend to think, well, this is not, like, a coincidence. Obviously when there's one player, it's a coincidence.

But I'm torn between the idea that everybody has got their own issues, obviously, and then I think I can speak for many players that we all have minor issues throughout a tournament of, like, two weeks, a little bit of tension here, little bit of sickness there, a cold or something.

But then that it's like enough to retire or enough to walk over, that's another level. So are we seeing that many? I don't know. I don't know. I think it's personal to each player. I don't think it's -- it's something that athletes live with.

I think the specific thing and the weird thing with tennis is that outside of the first round, a Lucky Loser can step in, and like a team sport, another guy can jump in. We don't have that, so it creates a situation like tonight or in the quarterfinals with Jannik.

That's just the only difference, but in every sport there is injuries all the time. It's just that here we cannot replace the guy.

Q. You will play on Sunday against Rublev. You have played five times against him. I think that he beat four.

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Four, yeah.

Q. What do you think will be the key for the match on Sunday?

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Yeah, I think outside of one match maybe we played, yeah, like four matches were all three sets, even the one I won, actually. All of them pretty, yeah, intense, crazy matches. I remember back 2018 even, small tournament, Umag, I was up a break in the third set, I lost a match.

Another one, same, similar scenario. I finally got the win against him, big three sets, crazy situations in Rotterdam this year we played. I had match points and he won.

So I guess, yes, when we play it's always tight matches, three-setters. Let's see. Obviously he's been at the top of our game for a few years. He deserves everything that is happening to him with how consistent he's been, how good he's been over the years.

But Sunday is one match. Let's see what happens. Not looking in the past, not looking forward. Just focusing on playing well, playing my game. If I do that, I mean, like times before, I will give myself a chance to win and hopefully it goes my way.

Q. A lot of people might feel like this first Masters final for you is a long time coming. You were a teenager that was so hyped up, and it feels like this sport sort of moves on to the shiny new thing maybe now with Alcaraz and Rune. Do you think that takes a toll mentally on having all this pressure put on you at such a young age, and then when you get to sort of mid-20s that goes away?

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Yeah, I mean, year by year, it's been, yeah, it's been interesting. It's an interesting process. Yeah, now I'm in a Masters final. But the sport goes fast. I think every sport goes fast. I think the world goes fast in general (smiling). I think we hype up really quick and we forget really quick, as well, when bad things happen (smiling).

It's almost like if you look in a life, like last year I had a bad year, right? But that's one year in my career and in my life in general. But before that, every year was better and better. I wasn't unhappy with how things were going for me. I finished, a year and a half ago, 6 in the world.

Then, yeah, a terrible year last year. Now I'm climbing my way back and playing better and better. Yeah, it's great that I get a chance now to be in a final. I feel like I have stayed consistent with my desire to play and improve and not getting frustrated when times were getting tougher, and so I'm happy that, yeah, life or tennis is smiling at me again, yeah.

Q. This is your first final on clay since 2019. Since that year, did you do anything in particular to transform yourself into a better clay court tennis player?

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: No, I wouldn't say that. Obviously we have to take into account this week is one of a kind. I mean, we have to be realistic of that. I'm not, like, forgetting that. This is the reality.

But still I feel like even two years ago when it was my best year I had some good matches. Obviously we remember the French Open with the match with Rafa that I think was a quality match I think on this surface.

With Novak in Rome, I had a quality match, as well. I was kind of losing those matches that were tight. But I always knew that from a young age I loved playing on the clay. It was never a problem to play on clay or to feel I was also a good player on clay.

So, no, I mean, further this year and further down in my career, I mean, I have all the reasons to believe that I can be in some finals on the clay and win some matches on this surface, as well.