Having to play the world No.3 in your second match at a Masters 1000 event is never ideal but for Felix Auger-Aliassime it is the challenge that he wants.
The Canadian kicked off his campaign at the Monte Carlo Masters on Monday with a solid 6-2, 6-3, win over Luca Nardi. The player who stunned Novak Djokovic in Indian Wells last month. Auger-Aliassime was particularly effective behind his serve where he won 88% of his first service points and 62% of his second. He also hit twice as many winners than unforced errors (21-9) and didn’t face a single break point.
“It’s a big part of my game. Everybody knows what I’m serving.” The 23-year-old said during an interview with The Tennis Channel.
“I think the big key was the second serve. Today there was a moment in the second set where I wasn’t finding targets on my first serve and it was a low percentage, but I was still able to win a lot of points. Not facing any breakpoints, winning rallies with my second serve and low double faults. It was a great performance overall with a few ups and downs.”
Auger-Aliassime is hunting for a confidence boost in Monte Carlo after failing to win back-to-back matches at his five previous tournaments. However, in three of those events he was beaten by a top-five player.
There is also an extra incentive for the Canadian who has a residence roughly 10 minutes away from the Monte Carlo Country Club, which is actually located in the French commune of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin.
“Whenever I’m not in a tournament I train here. My whole year offseason is here.” He said of the club.
“I feel like I’m playing at home, so it’s cool. I haven’t had much success in the past year, so I’m trying to change that. I’m trying to change that from this year and on because it’s a tournament that I love.”
Auger-Aliassime missed last year’s Monte Carlo Masters due to a knee injury and had only ever recorded one win at the tournament until his latest triumph over Nardi. He is currently making his fifth appearance in the tournament.
Awaiting the world No.35 in the next round will be third seed Carlos Alcaraz who will be a stern test. Alcaraz won more ATP Tour-level matches on the clay than anybody else in 2022 and 2023. The Spaniard has been spotted training at the event with some outlets reporting that he has been experiencing discomfort in his forearm. However, this has not been confirmed by Alcaraz’s team.
“Those are the matchups you want,” Auger-Aliassime said on his upcoming showdown. “Obviously, it’s been tough for me lately. I used to play these guys later in the draw but that’s the reality I’m facing now, and that’s alright.’
“I need to get through these matches. I need to win some of them. So again, it’s a good challenge, and that’s what I play for.
“These are the guys you want to play and you want to beat. It’s just a great challenge that I’m very excited for.”
Auger-Aliassime is hoping to record his first win over a current top-five player since the 2022 ATP Finals when he beat Rafael Nadal.
