‘Would love to face Roger Federer at Wimbledon; will try and dictate play to counter his tactics’: Felix Auger-Aliassime


‘Would love to face Roger Federer at Wimbledon; will try and dictate play to counter his tactics’: Felix Auger-Aliassime

Felix Auger-Aliassime and Roger Federer

Canadian tennis player Felix Auger-Aliassime says it would be exciting to play Roger Federer at Wimbledon given how the Swiss maestro has dominated at the famous lawns of the All England Club.

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Felix who exited the 2021 French Open in the early round will head to Stuttgart to warm-up for Wimbledon. Meanwhile, the 39-year-old Federer will be seen at Halle, where he is a 10-time winner.

“I would go with John McEnroe. I think that would be cool. Of course, there have been other amazing players who have played on grass like Roger [Federer] as well, and I think Roger would be pretty exciting from the videos I have watched of him,” Auger-Aliassime told the ATP. “He (Roger Federer) is such a special and exciting player to watch and I think it would be cool to play him in an event like Wimbledon.”

The 20-time Grand Slam has won Wimbledon on eight separate times, and is already seen as the favourite to win on the hallowed turf of south London. In fact, many believe Federer’s best chance to add to his Slam kitty can only manifest at Wimbledon. He also withdrew from the 2021 French Open, keeping the best preparation for the most prestigious tournament in mind.

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Felix has plans to counter Federer’s tactics at Wimbledon

Felix Auger-Aliassime
Felix Auger-Aliassime

On the other hand, the 20-year-old has never gone past the third-round at SW19. However, Felix exuded confidence by saying he will attack Federer’s game and expose some areas of the maestro’s weakness.

“[Against Federer], I would like to dictate because he is going to try and mix it up and come to the net and put pressure on me. I would try and dictate the points and not react to what he is doing to me and play with my stronger shot on his weaker shot and expose that. If I am playing him now, I will try and make him move.”

Both Federer and Felix have are yet to meet on the ATP tour. Currently, the young Canadian is coached by Rafael Nadal’s uncle and former coach, Toni Nadal.

Also read: French Open 2021: Rafael Nadal survives Diego Schwartzman test, prevails in his 14th semifinal at Paris

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