When Daniil Medvedev certified his spectacular comeback in last quarterfinals Open de Australia 2022, many were not surprised in the least. He had been just one point away from being defeated, he had looked into the abyss on a couple of occasions, but in none of them was his opponent able to close what, by level, had been the best match of his career. he. It did not matter that in those match balls it was the Russian who took the initiative, leaving hardly any gaps based on great flat serves. Felix Auger Aliassime he had fallen defeated again by not having prevailed in moments of pressure. That mental fragility of which he is accused came to the surface again. The defeat, the hardest of his career, did not bode well for a continuation.
And here we are, several weeks after that, with the Canadian in the prime of his career. Because there is no better way to respond to criticism and such a difficult defeat than with a title. And more, of course, when it is the first title of your career and it comes after accumulating a balance of 0-8 in finals. That mental barrier that made Aliassime hesitate in each title match disappeared in the duel for the trophy in the ATP Rotterdam 2022. It seemed as if he had never existed: the Canadian showed tremendously dominating tennis, subduing Stefanos Tsitsipas with unappealable serves and unstoppable forehands under the Dutch roof. The determination and courage in each section of the match showed an exultant Felix, aware of what he is capable of on a tennis court.
“For me, this is a dream come true. It’s something I’ve worked so hard for and it’s something I’ve also suffered through: we all know my story and all the finals I’ve lost before, so this is even more special for me.” my”. His statements after winning in Rotterdam are reminiscent of the calm and serenity that he conveyed after the disappointment in Australia: at that time, Felix commented that this defeat was a confirmation that he could “beat the best”. Against Medvedev he brushed against it; in view of Rublev y Tsitsipasgenerational companions placed ahead of him in the ranking, made it happen.
THE SERVE AND CONFIDENCE, THE KEY TO EVERYTHING
In the video we take an in-depth look at the reasons for Aliassime’s progression, but looking at serving as the foundation of his game is absolutely vital to understanding such a progression. If it was already the blow that kept him alive in very difficult matches during the first Grand Slam of the year, in Rotterdam he raised it to exorbitant performances, signing a 91% of points won with the first serve against Tsitsipas and replicating those sky-high stats against two other top-tier spades (before Rublev, 78.5%; ante Norrie, 85.7%). Not only that: in the last two meetings, when he was closer to the title and, therefore, the more tense his wrist could become, the Canadian did not give up a single serve. He did not concede break balls against the Greek and saved the 7 that Andrey had (where was that mentally weak player left?)
Because, of course, that confidence in his main weapons (serve and forehand), with which he knows he can dominate, translates into greater security when it comes to face the important moments. In Australia he won the vast majority of tie-breaks played, prevailing in moments of pressure; in Rotterdam he recovered from a horrible first set against Rublev (because of the way he lost it, which reminded him of the “old Aliassime”, but not because of his tennis) to shine in the remainder of the tournament. He is a different Felix, with a spark in his eyes, which conveys a greater sense of calm, of knowing what you are doing at all times. If he spreads his wings and is confident in sticking to his game plan throughout a match, this is a fearsome player. And when you get rid of the biggest mental barrier of your entire career… everything changes. How far can Aliassime go? We read you.
