Felix Auger-Aliassime exited Wimbledon after featuring in one of the most epic clashes in recent years, in a historic quarter-final against Novak Djokovic. It was five hours and fifteen minutes of pure tension on Centre Court, with the match concluding just minutes before the 11 PM curfew at SW19, and Djokovic celebrating his victory with his arms raised.
The Canadian, the third seed, missed out on reaching his first Grand Slam semi-final on grass after succumbing to the Serbian with scores of 7-6 (10-8), 3-6, 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), and 7-6 (10-4). Despite the setback, Auger-Aliassime displayed remarkable resilience, maintaining hope until the last point against the holder of 24 Grand Slam titles.
Visibly shaken, Auger-Aliassime faced reporters after the match and acknowledged the emotional impact of the outcome: “Yes. Sorry, I’m a little dizzy.” When asked for his final thoughts on the match, he summarized: “Look, to be brief, it was an incredible fight, an incredible battle with a legend of our sport. It is what it is. Obviously, it’s tough for me. Quarter-finals in Paris. Here. I’ve had other opportunities in my career where tight matches like this haven’t gone my way. I’ll have to figure out what I can do to make it different next time. For now, I can be proud of the fight and then move on, move on to what’s next.”
When asked if he felt the outcome was in his hands during the decisive moments, the Canadian was clear: “I had a lot of belief. I don’t think belief was a problem. After one set each, there was only one game in the third set where I lost my concentration. After more than two and a half hours of being very focused with him, I lost a bit of focus. In the fourth set, I was lucky to be able to come back. He also lost focus, had a break, which gave me the opportunity to get back into the match. After that, I think I played well, a good tie-break. But yes, in the end, he proves once again that he is good when he needs to be. He is solid, more solid than I am, when he needs to be. It’s a matter of playing styles. I think his style is a bit more consistent and solid in tight moments than mine. But, once again, he is impressive in so many things he does. The quality of his serve is probably among the best in the draw. The return, we already know. On every second serve, he always forces us to play, he always hits deep targets. We’ve seen it so many times, but it’s impressive that he can always do it.”
Regarding the physical and mental impact of the longest match of his career, Auger-Aliassime stated: “To be honest, I had a lot of belief until the end. I was trying to serve well, not to take too many risks, trying to play the best shot possible at each moment. Obviously, sometimes one of the players has to take a bit more risk at certain moments. But for me, it didn’t work out. I don’t remember well, I had Love-30 on a return game. I tried a parallel backhand. If I had hit it better, maybe it would have been Love-40. That could have given some momentum. I regret maybe not keeping the point? Maybe. But those are choices you make on the court and have to live with.”
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When confronted about the differences between his game and Djokovic's in decisive moments, he acknowledged: “I don't think so, it's just a matter of styles. I've watched many of Novak's matches over the years. I've analyzed many of his games, here and in other Grand Slams. Even when he wasn't playing his best, like against Roger here in 2019. You can feel that in tie-breaks or tight moments, he either serves well or always forces us to play one more shot. He keeps us in a position where we can't attack, neutralizing us until he waits for an error. His style of play is not my natural style. I try to be more aggressive. But I will have to learn to manage that, when to advance and when to be a bit more solid.”
After this battle of titans, Auger-Aliassime expressed determination to continue evolving, seeking to turn close defeats into decisive victories in the future.
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