Félix Auger-Aliassime will face Andrey Rublev on Sunday in the final of the Madrid Open
After the rain comes the good weather, a proverb that applies very well to Félix Auger-Aliassime this week in Madrid. Having been in a tough spot since the start of the 2023 season, the Canadian has struggled to string together good performances in recent months.
Sixth in the world, the best ranking of his career, at the end of 2022, Auger-Aliassime paid dearly for his poor form by dropping out of the Top 30 in March 2024, a first for him since April 2019.
But the 23-year-old did not panic and continued his daily work with diligence, until he was finally rewarded this Friday with his first Masters 1000 final in Madrid.
“Yes, now I’m in the final here,” he said.
“But sport moves fast. I think all sports go fast. I think the world moves fast in general (smiles). I think you get carried away very quickly and forget very quickly, too, when bad things happen.
“A year and a half ago, I was sixth in the world. Then, last year, I had a terrible year. Now I’m getting back on track and I’m playing better and better.
“It’s great to have the chance to play in a final. I feel like I’ve stayed consistent with my desire to play and improve and not get frustrated when things get tougher, and so I’m happy that, yes, life or tennis is smiling on me again, yes.”
A SIXTH MEETING WITH RUBLEV ON SUNDAY
But as Auger-Aliassime says so well, the world is moving fast and he won’t have much time to savour this achievement before facing Andrey Rublev on Sunday on Court Manolo Santana. This will be the sixth meeting between the two men on the ATP Tour. The Russian, more experienced at this level with four Masters 1000 finals to his name, leads 4-1 in their head-to-head.
The Canadian spoke in a press conference about this next battle against Rublev.
Auger-Aliassime knows that the task will be very complicated but not impossible. He’s already done it once and their clashes have often been very close on the circuit.
“I think outside of one match, we played four matches in three sets, even the one I won, actually,” Rublev continued.
“These are all intense, crazy games. I remember in 2018, at a small tournament in Umag, I had a break lead in the third set and lost.
“Another, the same scenario. I finally got the win against him, big three sets, crazy situations in Rotterdam this year where we played. I had match points and he won.
“So I think yes, when we play, it’s always close matches, three-set matches. Let’s take a look. It’s obvious that he’s been at the top of his game for the past few years. He deserves everything that comes his way, considering his consistency and quality over the years.