Reaching a semi-final in a Grand Slam at 21, in the era of Novak Djokovic and promising Daniil Medvedev or Alexander Zverev, it is a feat. But for Félix Auger-Aliassime, tennis prodigy expected on the biggest stages of this sport for a few years, it is above all the best way to silence his detractors.
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“It’s going to silence people who were beginning to doubt, believes Jacques Hérisset. But his father [Sam] and I, we knew the road would be long. We know that’s tennis. “
Jacques Hérisset knows Félix well. A great builder of tennis in the Quebec City region, he saw the young man from L’Ancienne-Lorette grow up on the courts of the region. He is also very close to his father, Sam, to whom he handed over the reins of his academy three years ago.
“Félix never doubted, believes Mr. Hérisset. To see him hatch like that at the US Open, to make it to the semi-finals, it’s the accumulation of a lot of work. He believed in his dreams and he was always well accompanied. “
Because before this semi-final at the United States Open, which he will play tomorrow against the second favorite, the Russian Medvedev, there were many successes. Like those eight finals on the ATP Tour.
But there were also a lot of disappointments. Like the fact of not having won any of these ultimate matches, some of which against opponents who seemed within his reach.
And even recently, the Quebecer seemed to be going through a trough. At the Tokyo Olympics and Toronto, he was beaten in his first game.
“His father and I are looking at what he can improve. Recently, we found that he had a lot of weapons, but especially in the points which unfold quickly, notes Mr. Hérisset. But at some point, if you don’t put the ball in the field, it’s the other one who will look good … “
In New York, it was a more brawling “FAA” who appeared on the field game after game. Obviously, this style suits the 12e favorite, because on Tuesday he became the first Quebecer, among men, to reach the four-quarter of a major tournament.
It is from Quebec that Sam Aliassime follows the performances of his son. Dad doesn’t like joining Felix in a tournament, so as not to change his state of mind.
“We annoy him a bit, but Sam always tells us he has an academy here, kids who rely on him for training,” explains “Jack”. But I think he might change his mind if he makes it to the final. We do not know when he will relive it! “
Two Quebecers in the semifinals of a major tournament, this is obviously unheard of for a nation that is still in its infancy on the tennis scene.
Even if we have been talking for a few years about the breakthrough of Canadian tennis, with the title of Bianca Andreescu in New York, two years ago, as well as the Wimbledon finals of Eugenie Bouchard (2014) and Milos Raonic (2016) , this new achievement delighted Louis Borfiga, former Director of Development at Tennis Canada.
The performances of Félix and Leylah Fernandez, who will face second seed Aryna Sabalenka on Thursday, show that the old mentality of Canadian tennis is now far behind.
“When I got there, it was more of a ‘we get enough’ mentality. We tried to establish a winning mentality, to want to go to the end of the tournaments and not just have a good match, ”Borfiga told TVA Nouvelles on Wednesday.
Louis Borfiga is happy to see young Canadians who no longer fear their opponents. Athletes who are able to play the tennis necessary to knock down three favorites in a row, as Fernandez did despite being 19 and 73e world rank.
“Did you see how Leylah behaves?” She is not afraid of anything! ”Underlined the one who was also involved at length with the French tennis federation.
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