When Felix Auger-Aliassime woke up Sunday morning in Cologne, he was surely envisioning himself winning the title. The trophy would be hoisted over his head and his drought in finals would be a distant memory.
But, alas, that did not happen.
Alexander Zverev was the one in the winner’s circle, taking the title 6-3 6-3 over Auger-Aliassime in the final of Cologne. Auger-Aliassime is now 0-6 in ATP Tour finals and 0-12 in terms of sets won. In the Canadian’s last three finals, he has not managed to win more than seven games in a match.
Mentally, this must be very tough for Auger-Aliassime. At World No. 22, with a career high of World No. 17, players of that ranking typically have at least on ATP title to their name. To see his closely-ranked colleagues achieving what he can’t must be immensely frustrating.
To come one match away, so often, and still not get over the hump is surely now becoming a psychological barrier to success in these matches. And to so often lose comfortably, like he never had a chance in the first place, is a weight on the Canadian’s shoulders.
Look at this match, for instance. Auger-Aliassime was broken in the first game of the match. That surely did very little to quiet the demons in his head.
There was a certain irony to today’s title concurrent ATP Tour title match in Sardinia. When Djere and Auger-Aliassime met in the ATP 500 Rio final last season, there was the feeling of a coronation upcoming for the rising star Auger-Aliassime against an overmatched Djere. Djere won that final in Rio 6-3, 7-5.
And today, at the same time that Auger-Aliassime was losing his sixth ATP final in a row, Djere was winning his second ATP title. Djere beat Marco Cecchinato 7-6(3), 7-5 to take the winner’s trophy in Italy. Djere might not make as many finals as Auger-Aliassime, but he is definitely more efficient in winning them.
So, where does Auger-Aliassime go from here?
This week was a step in the right direction in the sense that, not only did he make another ATP Tour final, but he was able to rein his game in and play with much more controlled aggression. In his loss to Yoshihito Nishioka in the first round of the French Open, Auger-Aliassime was completely out of control from the baseline.
Spraying unforced errors left-and-right, Auger-Aliassime fell in straight sets to Nishioka. It was a poor performance and a major cause for concern, as Nishioka is certainly not a clay courter.
But, back on the pristine, controlled environment of an indoor hard court, Auger-Aliassime was able to find his game (at least in the leadup to the final). Most impressive was his semifinal victory over Roberto Bautista Agut. Showcasing a high level of shotmaking and, most importantly, the rally tolerance to hang with the Spaniard, Auger-Aliassime won the match in three sets.
Bautista Agut hits with such depth and consistency, to able to take hit through him while still showcasing the stability from the baseline necessary to win made for a huge win for the Canadian. Was Auger-Aliassime finally turning the corner, ready to win his first ATP Tour title? That was not the case.
In terms of Auger-Aliassime’s ground game, perhaps the biggest concern is his backhand. In a match against a great backhand like Zverev’s, the deficiency in the Canadian’s backhand was very apparent. He just could not hang in there from the backhand side and did not hit with the consistency, weight of shot, nor depth necessary to trouble a top player like Zverev.
Next week, Auger-Aliassime will be playing in Cologne 2. Auger-Aliassime is in a tough quarter of the draw, with players such as Marin Cilic, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, and Diego Schwartzman in his section. Navigating this draw, especially with the added disappointment of another missed opportunity, will be tough but manageable.
In an interview with the ATP before his final match against Zverev, Auger-Aliassime said regarding his finals issues, “Obviously it’s unfortunate [what happened in] in the past five finals, but that’s in the past now. I think we all try to be as much in the present as we can. It’s not easy to be honest…”
While it’s easier to say that before losing your sixth compared to afterwards, the ability to live in the present is going to be a huge asset for Auger-Aliassime. What’s in the past is in the past and there’s no use rehashing and reliving those losses. He’s only 20 years old and if he can keep getting to that final match, surely at some point he will break through. As Auger-Aliassime said himself in that ATP interview, “You never know when it’s going to come.”
But, the pressure is certainly mounting for Auger-Aliassime. With every final loss comes the added external weight of media and fan scrutiny scrutiny and the added internal weight of increased doubt.
There’s no question in the minds of tennis fans and pundits that Auger-Aliassime’s time to win an ATP Tour final will come. As tennis journalist Enrico Maria Riva has said, “If you lose 6 consecutive ATP finals at 20 it means.., You reached 6 ATP finals at 20.”
However, for Felix Auger-Aliassime’s sake, let’s hope he wins one soon to allow the growing pressure of missed opportunities from mounting even further.
Main Photo from Getty.
