Felix Auger-Aliassime shared his thoughts after advancing to the Madrid Open final following Jiri Lehecka’s retirement during their semifinal clash.
“It’s crazy. I don’t know if it’s ever happened to a player before. It’s a weird situation to be in. It’s never happened to me in my career so far. A withdrawal or walkover or retirement of this sort.. Back to back like this,” Auger-Aliassime remarked, expressing his astonishment at the consecutive retirements.
Auger-Aliassime expressed empathy for Lehecka, stating, “I couldn’t believe what was happening when I saw his back failed him & blocked on him. I feel really bad for him. I’ve felt with injuries myself.”
Acknowledging the disappointment of facing an opponent’s retirement, Auger-Aliassime highlighted the challenges of battling injuries in professional tennis. “We can all imagine what it feels like to come out on a night like this hoping to win and go through. Having to battle with your opponent and not being able to play.”
Despite the unusual circumstances surrounding his advancement to the final, Auger-Aliassime remained focused on preparing for Sunday’s match, demonstrating his determination and sportsmanship in the face of adversity.
Auger-Aliassime in Madrid, ranking, and results in 2024
Now ranked no.35, Auger-Aliassime has achieved a 16-10 match record in 2024. Felix is currently competing in Madrid where he conquered the world no.78 Yoshihito Nishioka 4-6 6-1 6-4, the world no.20 Adrian Mannarino 6-0 6-4, the world no.74 Jakub Mensik 6-1 1-0 ret., the world no.6 Casper Ruud 6-4 7-5, the world no.2 Jannik Sinner w/o and the world no.31 Jiri Lehecka 3-3 ret..
Felix Auger-Aliassime will face the world no.8 Andrey Rublev in the final. Their head to head is 4-1 for Rublev.
The Canadian won 5 titles in his career: all of them conquered on hard courts. (See the list of his titles)
He is also scheduled to play in Lyon (Open Parc) on the 19th of May and French Open (French Open) on the 26th of May.
Felix Auger-Aliassime |
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