Connect with us

ATP Masters National Bank Open

Felix Auger-Aliassime Reflects on Tough Opening Loss at Canadian Masters

Felix Auger-Aliassime reflects on a tough Canadian Masters loss and the challenges ahead.

Published

on

Felix Auger-Aliassime described his opening-round defeat at the Canadian Masters as “painful” and is now focused on identifying the factors behind his loss. The world No. 28 fell 6-4, 6-4 to world No. 56 Fabio Marozsan, failing to convert a 4-1 lead in the first set. This marks Auger-Aliassime’s third loss in his last four matches.

“It’s been a mix of things we both did, I mean, I don’t play alone out there,” Auger-Aliassime said. “It’s not like I’m shooting hoops with my coach, there’s always an opponent trying to win, and this time, he did better than me, especially dealing with the conditions.”

He pointed to the challenging windy conditions as a significant factor. “Obviously, you all know it was very windy, which caused me not to serve well, leading to getting broken. Surely, he coped much better than me with all those aspects. It’s frustrating because I arrived early in Toronto precisely to adapt to those conditions, probably had more hours of preparation than any other player, never crossed my mind something like this.”

Auger-Aliassime acknowledged the uncontrollable nature of weather but emphasized it was the same for all players: “The wind is something you can’t control, but it’s the same for everyone. There’s no point complaining now about the conditions in Toronto.”

Advertisement

After a strong start to 2025, which included titles in Adelaide and Occitanie and a final appearance at the ATP 500 in Dubai, his clay season has been disappointing. He won just three matches on clay and lost in the first round in six out of seven tournaments.

“Losing a match is always painful, but losing here at home, in Canada, is much more disappointing,” he reflected. “Here you feel like you want to play as many matches as possible, so losing in the opening match is always tough, very tough.”

“Obviously, I’ve been through this situation many times in my career, but you never learn to feel better, so it’s not an easy moment. Also because, in the end, we’re talking about a Masters 1000 tournament, alongside the Grand Slams, they are the tournaments you want to play and do well in, but things aren’t working out this season. Now it’s time to prepare for Cincinnati, there’s no other option.”

Despite playing in his home country, Auger-Aliassime’s best result at the Canadian Open is a quarterfinal in 2022. He hasn’t won a match there since then.

Advertisement

On the match itself, he commented, “Maybe we could blame pressure if I had a horrible start, but I had a good start. I don’t know, sometimes it’s true that you feel those nerves, but then, how did I manage to play well in the early games?” he added.

Auger-Aliassime observed that Marozsan “started adapting much better to the game, let’s say he found the formula to navigate it better.” He noted the opponent’s ability to hit through the wind and play high-risk tennis effectively, possibly contrasting with his own more conservative approach.

“I think if I were to replay this match, I wouldn’t do things very differently; it’s just that sometimes the opponent is too good,” he said. “It’s not easy after a week like this, where I believe I did my best during the days of training prior. I’m working on all aspects, including my strengths, but this is the challenge that sports always present to you.

You can do your best, even today I feel like I did everything possible on every point, but sometimes it’s not enough.”

Advertisement

ATP French Open Grand Slam

Fonseca’s Paris surge: a 19-year-old handling the hard part at Roland Garros

Fonseca’s Paris run: the 19-year-old beat Djokovic and Casper Ruud, showing power and poise. Greatly

Published

on

Joao Fonseca followed a headline-making third-round victory over Novak Djokovic with another major statement at Roland Garros, defeating two-time finalist Casper Ruud in four hours and minus four minutes of drama, 7-5, 7-6 (8), 5-7, 6-2. The 19-year-old Brazilian, already one of the tournament’s most talked-about young players, is now one of two teenagers through to the quarterfinals alongside Rafael Jodar.

Fonseca’s path here included a remarkable comeback against Djokovic, becoming just the second man to beat Djokovic at Roland Garros after dropping the first two sets, a mark previously set by Jurgen Melzer in 2010. On Sunday he traded heavy forehands and long rallies with the 27-year-old clay specialist before pulling away late. The final numbers underscored how close the contest was: each man finished with 51 winners and an identical 52 errors. Fonseca’s backhand, however, proved the decisive edge in several key moments.

Asked about his versatility in a post-match interview with Mats Wilander, Fonseca said: “It’s more like heart, or mind, I don’t know, I just try to be me on the court. Try to be happy, try to hit winners, try to hit good shots, try to be entertainment … try to be me, and that’s what it is.”

Those words echoed across a week that also drew the attention of Gustavo Kuerten, who watched the match and appeared pleased with the way Fonseca is building on a Brazilian legacy. Fonseca is a 6-foot-2 right-hander with notable power and a broad set of weapons; his temperament and shotmaking have become a central part of his rise.

Advertisement

The run here follows a turbulent sophomore season: a nagging back injury that affected his off-season preparation, an early Australian Open exit and a 1-3 record heading into Indian Wells. He has been careful about expectations, saying in Monte Carlo, “I think the expectations are going to come. People see young players doing great things, and they pull us into the top of the rankings. People need time. Everyone has their own time, so I want to do my history. I hope I’ll be there competing against them [top players], but people need to understand that I need time to become what they want me to do and I want to become.”

Fonseca’s run now brings fresh comparisons and cautions; Jim Courier advised, “Be careful of that hangover.” Still, after five-set wins over Dino Prizmic and Djokovic and Sunday’s victory over Ruud, Fonseca’s immediate problem is simple: maintain the level that has taken him this far. I just try to be me on the court. Try to be happy, try to hit winners, try to hit good shots, try to be entertainment … and that’s what it is. Joao Fonseca

Continue Reading

ATP French Open Grand Slam

Roland Garros fines Adolfo Daniel Vallejo $65,000 after sexist remark about chair umpire

Vallejo fined $65,000 by Roland Garros after saying the match ‘has to be refereed by a man’ in 5 sets

Published

on

Roland Garros has imposed a $65,000 fine on Paraguayan Adolfo Daniel Vallejo after comments he made about the chair umpire following his second-round match.

The 22-year-old, ranked 71st, lost a nearly five-hour, five-set match to 17-year-old Frenchman Moise Kouame. Vallejo led 5-2 in the fifth set before the contest was decided in a tiebreaker. After the match he criticized Brazil’s Ana Carvalho, saying she was not strong enough to handle the partisan crowd and that such a match “has to be refereed by a man.”

“It’s a very demanding crowd and you need a lot of strength to go against the crowd,” he told Spanish-language outlet Clay. “The crowd was very out of line, but I understand they’re supporting their compatriot. It’s quite an intense crowd and that’s why I was prepared; I already knew it would be like that and, to be honest, it didn’t harm me, but rather strengthened him.”

Roland Garros and the French Tennis Federation called the remarks “unacceptable” and said Vallejo would receive a “significant sanction.” “The competence of an umpire is not determined by their gender, but by their professionalism and ability to officiate at the highest level,” the statement read. “The outcome of a sporting event, whether positive or negative, can never justify or excuse such remarks.”

Advertisement

Tournament director Amelie Mauresmo told reporters the fine was “representing roughly half of his prize money.” Organizers noted that players reaching the second round at the French Open receive 130,000 euros ($151,000) and later clarified that the fine was $65,000, not euros. “This is clearly unacceptable,” Mauresmo said. “Once again, such remarks have no place here.”

Vallejo subsequently said his comments had been misrepresented and issued an apology on social media. “my comments were not meant in the way they have been understood.” “I have respect for the umpire and for the job they do, after a [five-hour] battle I was very heated and with a lot of emotions, I apologize,” Vallejo wrote on Instagram late on Friday. “I also want to clarify that I didn’t blame the lost [sic] on her, she did a good job throughout the whole match.”

Continue Reading

ATP French Open Grand Slam

Cobolli weathers late scare to reach Roland Garros Round of 16

Cobolli escaped a fourth-set collapse, winning the tiebreak to reach the Roland Garros Round of 16..

Published

on

Flavio Cobolli survived a tense finish to his fourth-round match, holding off a spirited rally from Zachary Svajda to reach the Roland Garros Round of 16.

Cobolli moved ahead 5-1 in the fourth set with hopes of finishing in under three hours, but Svajda fought back to win five consecutive games. The No. 10 seed was broken twice while serving for the match and missed a match point at 5-4. Cobolli dropped a mini break at 5-4 in the tiebreak but steadied to close out the victory and avoid a deciding set.

Speaking on Court Philippe Chatrier after the match, Cobolli did not hide how close the moment came to slipping away. “The only thing that I understood today is that the match is never done. I almost sh\ my pants,” he told the Court Philippe Chatrier crowd. “Now I’m happy but I’m still nervous. I have to recover a bit now.”

In the press, he reflected on how pressure affects his game. “I think when the match is almost done, you start to think of it, and that’s the problem with my character, because I don’t like to think a bit. I just want to play my best tennis possible. But if I think, especially if I’m nervous, I start to play a different tennis, and of course the Chatrier is not easy for everyone. So I think also the court was tough.”

Advertisement

Asked about the celebration on court that followed, Cobolli said, “I think they deserve to win the Champions League,” in reference to the ceremony he returned to Chatrier to attend.

The 24-year-old reached the third Saturday at a major for the second time, matching his best Grand Slam run after a quarterfinal appearance at Wimbledon last summer. He is the only man to reach the round of 16 without dropping a set this fortnight. Cobolli has 13 wins in this season’s European clay swing, including victories over Alexander Zverev in Munich and a Top 10 win over Daniil Medvedev en route to a Madrid quarterfinal.

Cobolli will next face the winner of fourth-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime and Alejandro Tabilo. Two countrymen, Matteo Berrettini and Matteo Arnaldi, were due on court later Monday.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending