Felix Auger-Aliassime fearful of a brawny threat in his upcoming clash with Rafael Nadal
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Rafael Nadal and Felix Auger-Aliassime
On Friday afternoon, No. 9 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime advanced to the last 16 of Roland-Garros by overcoming Serb Filip Krajinovic 7-6 [3], 7-6 [2], 7-5. Thus, he set up a clash against the Spaniard Rafael Nadal in the fourth round. This will be their second match, and he will play the Mallorcan under the tutelage of Toni Nadal, Rafa’s uncle and former coach.
Last year, the Felix Auger-Aliassime added Toni Nadal to his coaching staff, but this is the first time he’ll face the King of Clay since then. When questioned by the press if he would seek advice on how to beat Nadal, the 21-year-old replied in the negative.
“There are no secrets to win against Rafa”- Felix Auger-Aliassime
In his press conference, the Canadian said that he and Toni had a discussion regarding Rafa’s gameplay before. In his words, “No, I didn’t ask, but as I said earlier, we know him well enough already. When we talk about Rafa, we talk about him together. We have already talked about what I could learn from him.”
“Toni did say things that Rafa would do less well or things on which I should focus,” he added. “But as for that particular match, we knew one day that since we started working together, this is something that could happen. It was already decided that Toni would watch the match in a neutral way, not to be on anyone’s side. As far as I’m concerned, this is a match that I’m handling just as any match.”
Felix Auger-Aliassime also stated that he expects to give it his all against Nadal, but added jovially that there are no hidden methods or tactics that can be used against a player of Nadal’s level. “I will focus on what I can do well,” he continued. “I will try to give my best. I will try to find solutions on the court. But if there were secrets to win against Rafa, he wouldn’t have won 13 times the French Open, right?”
“It’s an opportunity like any match. It will be the opportunity for me to see how I can level with him as a benchmark, because he’s had so much success here, to see if I really have improved my game during the last years, and I will try to see where I position myself towards him,” concluded the youngster with a cheeky smile.
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Pritha Ghosh
(414 Articles Published)