It is the goal of every professional tennis player to top the world rankings and Felix Auger-Aliassime is no different.
The 22-year-old has been dubbed as one of the future stars of tennis since producing a series of impressive performances on the junior Tour at a young age. So far in his career, he has contested 13 Tour finals, winning four titles with three of those being last season. He is also a former US Open semi-finalist who has registered 13 wins over top 10 players.
Auger-Aliassime is currently ranked ninth in the world which is three places below his career-high of sixth. His goal is to rise to the top of the rankings but he is maintaining a realistic perspective about his chances.
“Ultimately in my career I would love to be No 1 at some point, but you can’t force these things. You can want it all you want, and many wanted to be No 1, some were able to do it, some weren’t able to do it,” Auger-Aliassime told reporters at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
The Canadian explains that his dream of becoming world No.1 is helping him to continue focusing on what he is currently doing. He is currently coached on the Tour by Frederic Fontang who has previously tipped the tennis star to produce a good performance at Wimbledon this year. Also guiding him is the uncle and former coach of Rafael Nadal, Toni Nadal.
“I feel like putting a goal or saying you want to do it, is not going to get you there. For me it’s about focusing on the day-to-day, being motivated, but without being too excited. Just finding the right balance coming to every match with the right intensity, but also staying calm and patient is important,” he said.
“You don’t get those results overnight, there are a lot of good players, Novak is the best player in the world today, in my opinion, I want to be there one day, but my time will come if I deserve it.”
So far this season Auger-Aliassime has recorded a win-loss ratio of 9-4 on the Tour with his best result being a run to the Qatar Open semi-finals last week where he was knocked out of the tournament by eventual champion Daniil Medvedev. In his latest match in Dubai on Tuesday, he defeated Maxime Cressy 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-3, in what was a marathon encounter.
Auger-Aliassime will next play Lorenzo Sonego in the second round.