Felix Auger-Aliassime backed to win Wimbledon in 2023

Publish date: 2024-04-07
Felix Auger-Aliassime in action

Felix Auger-Aliassime has been backed to make his Grand Slam breakthrough in 2023.

The Canadian’s coach Frederic Fontang believes that the big serving 22-year-old could snatch the title at Wimbledon.

Fontang believes that Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will dominate the Grand Slam discussion this year, but thinks that Wimbledon will suit his charge’s skill set.

Speaking to Ubitennis, Fontang said: “Aside from Felix, who is now in a position to present himself as a contender for the win, I think that Rafa, even though many say he might retire, won 2 Slams last year and finished the season as world No. 2. I think Rafa remains the favorite for Roland Garros despite everything.

“For the hard court tournaments, I would say that Djokovic and Medvedev are my two favorites, so for the US Open and Australian Open, I would bet on them. And finally, for Wimbledon, I think the discussion is more open. Felix has already made it to the quarters there, has a great serve and has all the weapons to do well. So my prediction is Felix winning at Church Road.”

Fontang believes the area where tennis has made its biggest strides in coaching is in the mental aspects of the sport.

“Tennis is a tough competition, it’s a bit like boxing but without physical contact. Everyone wants to impose their game and be aggressive,” he said.

“This means always being ready on every point, every shot. During the exchanges, it is essential to be reactive. And then between one point and the next, you shouldn’t be discouraged by a wrong shot, the important thing is to stay in the present and focus on the next point.

“Let’s say that before, more attention was paid to trying to maintain aggressiveness on the court, while now we know the brain better. We have more tools to understand how the brain and the body work and we try to apply them. With Felix, we try to develop tools to communicate and guide him in the best way in the routines, in the match preparation and during the match. What I see is that today the toolbox from this point of view is much richer.”

Fontang believes that Auger-Aliassime possesses the kind of resilience that a tennis professional needs to survive and thrive and tour.

“As for the mental part, his strength is resilience. Regardless of the results, whether he wins or loses, he still comes back the next day to train with a positive attitude, as happened last year at Wimbledon and the US Open, where he lost in the first round.

“But he was able to get back on the court with all the attention and focus necessary to get back on track. He is very consistent, he knows where he wants to get to and this is definitely a strength of Felix.”

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