(New York) To have a long and successful career, you have to have a short memory.
On the eve of the United States Tennis Open and at the heart of the most difficult season of his young career, Félix Auger-Aliassime seems to have made this philosophy his own, with which he will arm himself to face the American Mackenzie in the first round. McDonald’s, 39th in the world ranking.
The 15th seed of the New York tournament unwittingly sketched out this reflection on Friday afternoon, after training with the Italian Jannik Sinner under gray and threatening skies. He first spoke about the need to “leave the past behind” when answering a question about his recent victory in Cincinnati, which ended a streak of five straight first-round losses, including at Washington, Wimbledon and Roland. -Garros.
Has this success allowed him to regain some confidence?
“It was good when it came time to win,” he replied. “After that, the tournament continues,” he added, glossing over his loss in the next round. “You always have to leave the problems behind. Win or lose, I try to focus on what works in my game and anticipate what I need to do to play well here. »
And Félix Auger-Aliassime repeats, as if he wanted to be well understood: “You have to have a short memory. »
In the short term, this philosophy likely allows the Quebec tennis player to come to New York with less gloomy ideas than the sky was during his training with the sixth seed at the US Open.
“I had some time after Cincinnati to practice, to try to come into the tournament in the best frame of mind possible,” he said. Naturally, when you win a lot of games, it’s easier, as it has been in recent years. You come into a tournament like this saying, “I’ve got a lot of wins behind me.” But here I have to make a conscious effort to say, “OK, the reality is different, but I think I can make an effort to train well and still stay positive.” »
“Training is going pretty well,” FAA added, saying he’s been working on technical aspects of his game over the past few days, including serve and return of serve. “Hopefully I can show some great things on the pitch. »
Félix Auger-Aliassime, who has just celebrated his 23rd birthday, is obviously capable of it. In the last months of 2022, everything seemed to smile on him.
“By the end of last year, everything had fallen into place,” he confirmed. “I was playing well, I was like, ‘I’m becoming the player I want to be.’ »
But a knee injury contributed to what he freely admits is the most difficult period of his career.
“Physically, it was more complicated with the injury,” he explained. It’s never easy because we use our body as a work tool. When you get up in the morning, you have things to accomplish and you are not well in your body, it’s complicated. This part was long and a little heavy. »
Returning to competition has not been easier.
“It’s a learning curve. There is a lot of tennis to play. I hope I can continue to play for many years. »
But to achieve this, you have to have a short memory, leave the problems behind and “find the good feelings”, to borrow another expression dear to the principal concerned.
Félix Auger-Aliassime will be able to get started in his first match of the tournament against Mackenzie Macdonald, whom he defeated on the grass in Halle, Germany, in 2022.
“It won’t necessarily be easy,” said the Quebecer. He is a player who has a good ranking and a player who is not far from being a seed in the tournament. »
And to add: “It’s a good test. Ultimately, I know that if I can pull off a match like this, it will give me confidence for the rest of the tournament. I try to be very, very ready for the first game, to have the best possible concentration to pass this test. »
