Coming In Underdone, Felix Still Has High Hopes For Wimbledon

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Former Wimbledon quarter-finalist Felix Auger-Aliassime comes into The Championships under different circumstances this year, having missed the lead-up grass-court events due to a left knee injury.

The Canadian, who is No. 12 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, on Monday will play his first match in more than a month since a first-round exit to Fabio Fognini at Roland Garros. The 22-year-old withdrew from Halle two weeks ago to protect his recovery from tendon damage in his left knee.

“Coming into Wimbledon without a match on grass was not the original plan,” Felix told ATPTour.com Saturday. “But I may look back [in years to come] and say it was a good experience because it probably won’t be the last time that I come into Wimbledon without playing any events before. Hopefully if I play well in my career there will be times when I may need to rest my body and just get ready for Wimbledon, just like Novak is doing now.

“Right now I feel better and better. I played some practice matches and trained well. With the years I feel more and more that the most important thing is that I'm healthy, that I'm feeling good physically. And once I do that, the game comes back pretty quickly. I feel my body's holding up better, I've been able to train every day. And then if I get through the early rounds, I feel like my level is there to be as competitive as the other years, even if I didn't play a tournament before coming in.”

Auger-Aliassime said that while the tendon had fully recovered, he withdrew from Halle because he was still suffering discomfort on serve and when moving to his left.

“The recovery of a tendon isn’t as precise as something like the fracturing of a bone. It has fully healed but there is some inflammation left,” he said. “Sometimes the issue will come back after playing a lot of matches or lots of practice. With my team we're really trying to manage it the best we can. We’re trying to give it the right load to get my muscles around it better, which is something that was lacking a little bit.

“We try to be as precise as we can but it's not a perfect science. Even the doctors don't know exactly how long until I won't have any pain anymore. But as of today, I feel ready and I feel good to go to start the tournament. Hopefully it stops sooner rather than later, but I think it’s something that I am always going to have to manage.”

Felix, who defeated Nick Kyrgios and Alexander Zverev en route to the quarter-finals in 2021, suffered a tight four-set loss to Maxime Cressy in the first round last year.

Ahead of his Monday opener against American lucky loser Michael Mmoh, the four-time ATP Tour titlist shared his thoughts with ATPTour.com about the privilege of playing at Wimbledon.

What are your earliest Wimbledon memories?
I think one of Roger’s wins, maybe not the first one when I was three years old. I would say maybe 2006, ’07 when he played those first ones against Rafa. As a kid I didn’t have access to all the matches, but I remember the finals with Rafa from 2006 to ’08.

What about your own personal memories, the first time you played here as a junior or as a pro?
I have good memories, like coming on the ground for the first time. It was just amazing. And every time I come back, actually, I feel the same feeling, how everything is so neat. Everything is so well done and taken care of. You feel like it's just an important event for people around you and they make you feel like it is. Every time it's nice to see that.

Your greatest moment to date at Wimbledon?
When I reached the quarter-finals. I played Zverev [in the fourth round]. I won the first two sets, then he came back won the third and fourth, then there was a bit of a break due to the rain. I remember even more because you have time to think about what’s going to happen, which builds the tension even more. They closed the roof. So it got even louder. It felt completely different. And I was able to get the break and hold serve until the end. It was a special moment for me.

Wimbledon is known for its traditions, do you have a favourite?
I like the all-white thing. I do wear white a lot, I like wearing white shoes. I like wearing white tops most of the time. So, I do like it for my style in general. So I have no problem with that tradition.

How much do you enjoy playing on grass and how special does it feel to play on the Wimbledon lawns?
They're the best grass courts we have on tour. They are so well done with no bad bounces; it’s like a perfect carpet. And I like I like the feeling under your feet. 

Outside of the big show courts, do you have a favourite out on the grounds?
Actually, the court that I'm going to play my first match on this year, Court 12, is where I got my first pro win against Vasek [Pospisil]. It was July 1, Canada Day. When I saw the schedule this year, I thought it was a good court to start on.

Are the fans different to other events?
I feel they have more knowledge about tennis and follow it more. It’s in the culture a little bit more, like maybe they came here as kids or maybe they’ve been watching Wimbledon for years on TV.

And then you have this other crowd who have always dreamt of coming to Wimbledon and they were finally able to get tickets. From the first year here, I remember hearing the fans talking and you knew they were really appreciating the moment like. You feel that as a player and that makes us feel the event is even more prestigious.