Roland-Garros 2023 – Men’s singles – Félix Auger-Aliassime, breakdown and body at half mast

Is it serious doctor ? After his flamboyant fall, despite a disappointing Turin Masters, Félix Auger-Aliassime seemed ready to get a little closer to the heights in 2023. But the Canadian is having a difficult season. If his elimination in the round of 16 of the Australian Open in January had disappointed, it remains his most significant performance. He won few matches (13, for 9 defeats this year, and 2-5 in his last seven outings) and has just experienced a new disappointment by leaving Roland-Garros in the first round, where he lost in three sets against Fabio Fognini.

But there is even more boring. It is not only a bad tennis pass that the young Quebecer is going through. It is his body that bothers him from all sides. We knew he was diminished by a shoulder sore from an infection. “She’s not doing too well. AVERAGE, he admitted Monday after his elimination. I play with painkillers. I try to get away with it. I hope it will get better.”

As if that weren’t enough, Felix fell ill. “The shoulder wasn’t the problem today (Monday), he explains. I felt bad last night (Sunday), I slept badly. It is reality. I woke up saying to myself: ‘It’s not possible, I’m sick the day before the match. I tried to warm up, see a doctor, see what I could take. I had cramps, I couldn’t move. I wasn’t even sure if I should try, or quit, I didn’t know.”

On the Simonne-Mathieu court, he actually appeared without spring, slow, soft. What bothers him the most is that it’s not the first time in recent times that his body has sounded the alarm. “I have to understand why I got sickhe insists. A week ago in Lyon too, I was sick. I have to make a point, understand a few things, do analyses, a whole series of analyses. I haven’t been in good health lately. I fight a bit with my body, to try to play, to train.

There is nothing more frustrating for a gamer than not being able to express themselves 100%. Beyond the results, this is what undermines Félix Auger-Aliassime at the moment. “It’s one thing to lose, to play badly, it’s heavy. But not to feel good in your body, it’s also difficult“, he summarizes. First Top 10 eliminated this year at Roland in the men’s table, he could also lose his place in the top 10 at the end of the fortnight, depending on the results of his pursuers.

Despite everything, he tries to remain calm, at all costs: “I try not to worry too much, not to panic. There are still tournaments this year, a lot of tournaments. I’m confident, if things go well again, I could play well, and have some good times on the court again this year. There is no need to panic. It’s a difficult time.” It is the least we can say.