Aliassime: "I wasn't fresh, neither physically nor mentally, but it's not an excuse"

Major disappointment for Felix Auger-Aliassime at the 2024 Montreal Masters 1000, surprised in the first round by a Flavio Cobolli who is growing stronger every day. We were aware of the possibility that the Canadian might be a bit affected after all the exhaustion of the Paris Olympics, coupled with a long journey and the changing conditions that always have an impact. After bidding farewell to the home tournament, these were Felix's words to the press, disheartened by the stumble but already with a different mindset to face future challenges.

Disappointed after being eliminated

“Well, I have to be realistic, I knew it was going to be a tough match. I had to adapt to the new conditions and in the end it happened as it did, but I won't stop here. It's clear that nothing in my game was good, there was a big gap between my level today and that of last week in Paris, even in the previous weeks, especially with my serve, so that could explain what happened. Now I will rest a bit, then resume training and prepare for the rest of the season.”

Reasons behind the defeat

“The surface change certainly had an impact, but I would also say that the balls were a key factor, as we switch balls at every tournament. I only had two days to adjust, I couldn't control the ball, at least not easily. He also played a very good match, he was very confident. We had faced each other before, perhaps in similar conditions, but I had never seen him perform at this level. I give him full credit for playing so well tonight.”

Playing without a serve

“I would say the main reason for this defeat has been my serve. Players rely heavily on serving, here all service games are important, even on clay, so you always need your serve. Today, I was told I hit a 46% with the first serve, I had no idea, but I would say that is probably the lowest percentage I've had on first serves all year, including double faults. My serve tonight was terrible, it was very tough, I simply couldn't control it. I didn't manage to find my rhythm, I couldn't be precise in that aspect. It's time to improve.”

The toll of the Olympic Games

“Of course, I can't say I was as fresh as I would have liked, neither physically nor mentally. It was quite challenging to handle everything, but that's not an excuse. I can't come here, sit down, and say that I should have done this or that. From the start, I knew it was going to be a challenge, things didn't go my way, so I have to accept it and move forward. Obviously, after all I've been through these weeks, if Montreal hadn't been the tournament, I would have thought a bit more about whether to come or not.”

Will we see him in Cincinnati?

“Right now, it's challenging to set the schedule, one always has to strike the right balance between resting or having competition matches under the same conditions as your next tournament. I have a week before Cincinnati starts, which is positive. Normally, it would be good to play this tournament, but I'll see how I feel in the coming days. I'll probably go to Cincinnati, but as the dates approach, I'll assess how I feel.”

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Aliassime: “No estaba fresco, ni física ni mentalmente, pero no es excusa”