ROLAND GARROS

June 1, 2024

Felix Auger-Aliassime

Press Conference

F. AUGER-ALIASSIME/B. Shelton

6-4, 6-2, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Can you walk us through the key today.

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Well, yeah, we started at night yesterday and finished today, so obviously, that's tricky. It was good that I was -- I mean, I guess fortunate that I was able to break yesterday before the stoppage and come back today, get through that tricky service game, double fault, long rally. He hit an amazing winner on the line. It was a bit of tightness there.

But then as the second set started, I felt like my intentions were clear, and my execution was right, and I was able to do what I wanted to do, and at the same time get free points from his side and able to return his serve pretty well.

So happy with how everything went, yeah.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. I would like to ask you about Carlos Alcaraz, your next rival. You know each other very well. You are one of the very few players with a head-to-head win against him. What do you expect about the match, and do you think it's going to be a night match just to give you some rest?

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: I don't know. I don't make the schedule.

But in terms of the challenge, yeah, it's the first time we play on clay, so that's obviously different. I beat him in indoors. He beat me twice in Indian Wells. So very different conditions now. First time since US Open a while ago when he was just 18 that we played in a Grand Slam.

All these things together make it different, but obviously, it's as big of a challenge as it gets. You play one of the best players in the world. So it's always a special match against him or Novak or Jannik. We haven't played in a while, but these guys are, yeah, always a big challenge, but I'm feeling better and better.

I feel like I have more and more belief in my game and what I do. So, yeah, I think I have all the reasons to believe that I can win, but obviously, we know the challenge. It's a tough one.

Q. Some players go into matches with players like Carlos already thinking they're not going to win, but do you think for you it's not necessarily a good matchup as such, but it's a match that you can play your game without worrying about what he's doing?

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: You have to play your game. I don't know, if a player comes here and says he's not going to play his game, he's lying or he's going to say he's able to do things that he doesn't know how to do, he's lying again.

Obviously, I go out tomorrow playing what I know, doing what I do well. If I do that, then let's see during the match how it goes. Obviously I'm always open to adapt as the match goes on to see what I'm doing well or less good and what he's doing well, and adapt my game and my tactics.

But, yeah, I'm going to prepare like I prepare for every match, focus on myself, and let's see what level he brings, let's see what I bring. It's going to be a good match, yeah.

Q. I just wanted to ask you, Badosa and Sabalenka have just finished playing. They're two really close friends. How do you find playing a close friend, like if you have to play Denis or something like that? Do you find that awkward? Is that a bit of a strange dynamic?

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: I think the younger we were it was. Coming from juniors you spend more time together, you're playing doubles. Juniors is a different vibe. It's less professional. Everybody now has their own team and their own things going.

When we were younger, it was like, oh, I'm playing my friend. We just had dinner yesterday together, we're hanging out practicing. It feels a bit weird.

Now there's a lot of respect always, but it feels more professional in a way. So I feel like Denis and I, we've played many times now on tour. It could be other players that I get along well with. You go out on the court. You're professional. You try to win. You follow your plan.

But it's not really anything more emotional than that, really.

Q. I would like to ask you kind of a general question, if I could. You've been playing tennis for so long. We know it's a really tough, challenging game that kind of, I don't know, reflects life and teaches tons of lessons. If you had to step back and say, okay, the one or two lessons that this sport has taught you or given to you, what would that be?

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Well, there's a few, but the ones that come to mind right now, I think that the routine that you put in place for yourself. The discipline is stronger than the will, I would say. That's one thing I learned.

You can want things all you want, even badly, and I have wanted things badly in past years in my life, but it creates a bit too much tension, too much stress, and you put too much expectations. What comes from that comes frustration.

When you put good routines in place and you stay disciplined and you're clear with your intentions, then usually you're more relaxed with the outcome because you're less focused on the result and more focused on that routine that you're trying to put in place. Same thing in the matches.

I could go on, but this is something that I think is a good lesson I've learned in past years.

Q. Do you still hear from time to time with Toni Nadal since he is no longer part of your team? Is he giving you some tips, advice?

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: We have a good relationship. Always had. I have a huge amount of respect for Toni as a person. I think it goes both ways.

We have a good relationship, and I have decided lately that I wanted to make the team smaller and just my coach, my long-time coach, my dad that's more present. Obviously, the fitness, physio part. That's it. It was a decision that we made together as a family, as a team, and obviously myself making the last call.

But in terms of my relationship with Toni, yeah, we're in touch sometimes. I feel like we always will be in touch when we see each other or once in a while, a message here and there of encouragement, but that's it really, yeah.

Q. You are coming back to your best top level. I guess you're not surprised to see Sinner in the last 16, but what about Arnaldi who beat Rublev, and he's in the same section of your draw. First of all, what do you think about him? He has to play Tsitsipas eventually before you, eventually if you beat Alcaraz. It's not easy, but what do you expect?

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: A lot of things can happen, but no, to go straight to your question, Arnaldi, we practiced together a few years ago in close to Monaco. I kind of discovered him there.

I was still outside the top 100, coming up in the challengers, and I thought, this guy hits the ball well, and he's obviously moving well, and we can see he's so flexible, and he has all these great physical qualities.

I was thinking, I'm sure we're going to see more of him. Then he progressed in a very steady way year after year, and now he's a dangerous opponent. Like when you see the draw, and I saw that, for example, in the first round he was playing with Fils, and he was not seeded, I thought this is one of the guys that's unseeded that you don't want to have first round in a way because he has a very complete game. He's pretty steady. He moves well.

He's going to be a tough guy to beat always. I'm sure he's going to be seeded now more and more in the future.

Q. What are some of the things you've learned from your previous experiences in the second week and in the really deep ends of tournaments that you think you bring into this journey into the second week?

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Every tournament is different. Really different. I mean, as people do we really remember how we felt, like, two years ago in January? I don't know. It's obviously very different. You don't always remember how you felt at that time.

This time around what's been a bit different is that I've been able to win my first three matches just losing one set. I've had runs in Australia or US Open where I was playing five sets, four sets in the early rounds. So I feel like I've spent maybe less time on court to get to the round of 16s than I have in the past, so let's see if that's going to help me in the future.

Then what you can learn, just try to do what you have to do, train well, stay relaxed, and not stress yourself too much with other things because you need all the energy when it comes down to the details of matches and it comes down to the later rounds in tournaments.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in French.

Q. You talked earlier about your relationship with Toni Nadal. Could you say what he brought to you, especially on clay.

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Clay or other surfaces, in general, I like his philosophy, the way he approaches a career with what he went through with Rafa.

We can learn a lot from what he's saying. I just like to be open and listen to what he has to say and try to absorb as much information as I can from him. I like the way he demands high qualities, consistency, what to improve on one's game.

I like to be humble when I face adversity, when I make mistakes. It's important to be demanding with one's self to try to reach the highest level possible, to accept losses as well, when they are actually very hard to take on.

Sometimes also I have to think about how to improve my game. This is what we usually do with coaches, isn't it?