MELBOURNE, Australia | For his first round match at the Australian Open, Félix Auger-Aliassime knew he could fear Vasek Pospisil, his friend, his compatriot, his partner in Canada’s historic victory at the Davis Cup.
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Felix was not mistaken. No, this meeting was not one of anthology, punctuated by breathtaking exchanges. But it will have been a mental battle for Félix, who had to draw on his bearings after a disastrous first set. And a physical battle for Pospisil, struggling with leg cramps from the second run.
It was finally the sixth favorite who found the key to the enigma first, overcoming the 99e world by the score of 1-6, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3) and 6-3.
“It went fast”
When the game got underway around 6 p.m. Melbourne time, the sun was beating down half of the stands at John Cain Arena, the third-largest ground at the site of the first major tournament of the season.
When it concluded, some four hours later, it was dark and seagulls were flying over the stadium, waiting for the remaining spectators to leave the enclosure so they could steal the food left on the ground.
Félix however believed to have started the meeting in force. However, things quickly degenerated. “The first game, I think I play well. I lead 15-40, I feel good, I make good forehands,” he recalled at a press conference.
“Afterwards, I made a few unforced errors, but I was not worried about my nervousness, my level of play, he continued. Then it went fast. I made double faults [trois au total au premier set] that I can’t explain, because I served well all week in training…”
He stayed positive
There were those double faults, yes, and also, an incredible level of tennis on the part of Pospisil, who was looking for angles to prevent his compatriot from extending the rallies. A strategy that has proven effective for a long time.
“He put pressure on me. As soon as I did not pass my first ball, he was aggressive on my second serve, also analyzed the Quebecer. It was a bit complicated. I had the impression that if I made a bad point, he made a good one.
If Auger-Aliassime “didn’t say much good to himself” when he returned to his chair, once the first set was over, he still did everything to stay positive.
And it worked. Maybe not as well as the 22-year-old would have liked because in an ideal world he wouldn’t have had to go to the tiebreaker to win the second and third sets. But he hung on.
Pospisil and cramps
During this time, the physical form of his friend, who had become a one-night rival, was gradually deteriorating.
A refrain that Pospisil knows too well. Shortly after the match, the long-faced, 32-year-old veteran didn’t want to take anything away from Félix’s game. However, he regretted that physical glitches once again deprived him of a victory.
“It’s been five years since I’ve had an injury-free season,” he lamented, his voice quivering. It’s a problem I have to solve. I try things, I changed my diet. However, it is difficult to lose a match not because we played badly, but because of our body.
Auger-Aliassime didn’t immediately notice Pospisil’s problems. It was in the third round that he began to feel the cramps that afflicted his opponent.
Anyway, noted “FAA”, it did not change much. “When Vasek has his back against the wall, that’s when it feels like he’s playing his best tennis. He’s more relaxed.”
“He does not ask questions in these moments, it is I who ask myself, pointed out Félix. I had to stay vigilant, because it seems that when he is about to give up, that’s when he becomes the most dangerous.
Keep the same dynamic
It was finally in the fourth round that Auger-Aliassime managed to take “pleasure in the match”. And it appeared in the tally. “I felt much better. To have ended up like this is a step in the right direction. If I can keep this same dynamic, it will go better in the following laps.
The next challenge for “FAA” will be against Alex Molcan, 53e in the world, which he will face either Tuesday night Eastern time or Tuesday night into Wednesday.
The 25-year-old Slovak beat him in three sets in their only meeting last year on clay in Marrakech. Félix remembers him as a player “who has a good touch on the ball, good hands and who defends well”.
“It was not a very good match on my part, but I still saw possible solutions, he pointed out. It’s good to have benchmarks against an opponent.
