Felix Auger-Aliassime reveals plans for 2019
Making the professional debut at Drummondville Challenger in 2015 when he qualified for the main draw at the age of 14, Felix Auger-Aliassime set the eyes on himself as one of the best upcoming stars in the world and the leader of 2000 generation. On the latest ATP ranking list, super talented Canadian is one of just three players of his generation in the top-400 and by far the best-ranked, standing in 109th place despite the fact he missed the entire action in January due to a knee injury he suffered last December while preparing for the new season.
The Montreal native needed some time to regain the confidence but he finished the year with six ATP wins and 24 Challenger triumphs, winning two titles from three finals to become the second-youngest four-time Challenger champion behind Richard Gasquet! In addition, Felix has become the first player born in 2000 with a Masters 1000 win when he defeated Vasek Pospisil at Indian Wells and also the first who had a chance to compete at Majors, qualifying for the main draw in New York just two years after becoming the youngest junior champion of the US Open!
In the blockbuster first round match, Felix battled against his great friend and compatriot Denis Shapovalov and he was forced to retire after the fifth game of the third set due to an irregular heartbeat. Fortunately, it was nothing serious and Auger-Aliassime was back on the court a few weeks later, reaching the first ATP quarter-final in Shenzhen and winning the title at Tashkent Challenger to make another big step towards the place in the Top 100 where he will certainly enter in the season ahead of us. An 18-year-old will launch his 2019 campaign in Pune where he currently stands just below the main draw entry list after the withdrawal of Marin Cilic.
Felix has been in India for a few days now, hitting the practice court and trying to reach the optimal form before the start of the tournament. The youngster had a chance to speak about his 2018 season and the goals he set for 2019 when he will try to add more impressive wins to his tally and become the first player of his generation who has managed to crack the elite top-100 group.
"2018 was good for me overall, I managed to play a lot of tournaments and I had some ups and downs but I'm happy with my progress, hoping for more of the same in 2019. I made a good and fast transition from the junior Tour into seniors, I can't complain. I was able to win a lot of matches in my first full pro year and hopefully, I can keep going. The fact I am among the most promising youngsters on the Tour motivates me, I have already put a lot of pressure on myself. I have high ambitions and they are matching my expectations, I have been a perfectionist so it is nothing new for me, I will keep doing what I am doing well.
I want to be more consistent in 2019, I expect a lot of effort from me. Mentally, I want to be good in the matches and tournaments and I expect nothing less than that. I will give my 100% effort, stay passionate, keep the good attitude and then we will see what happens. I arrived in Pune late on Sunday and I had a good sleep, a good hotel and good food so far, I like it here. I had a light training on the first day, maybe 30 minutes or an hour, after three days I am playing more and more and hopefully, I will be ready when the tournament starts."
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2EUfByc
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