Auger-Aliassime after Nîmes glory : “If I can qualify for the quarter-finals at Monte-Carlo to match up with the best players”

Inside the makeshift locker rooms of the Nîmes Arena—built specifically for the occasion—Alexander Bublik has just bowed out of the Bastide UTS semi-finals against Casper Ruud. The Kazakhstani is in full storyteller mode, holding court in front of Jérémy Chardy and Felix Auger-Aliassime.

“He’s unplayable,” Bublik jokes. “If you gave us two serves and him only one, he’d still win. You’d need a two-quarter head start just to stand a chance. He’s going to be like Rafael Nadal in Monte-Carlo; if there are ten UTS Nîmes editions, he’s winning ten of them.”

“He can beat him,” Chardy retorts, gesturing toward the Canadian. “No way, impossible,” Bublik insists. Fast forward a few hours, and Felix Auger-Aliassime was hoisting his first UTS trophy after taking down the defending Norwegian champion.

Auger-Aliassime first competed in UTS back in 2020 during the pandemic—a lifetime ago in tennis years. Six years later, the Canadian reflected on the unique, high-octane intensity of the format. To claim the title, he had to survive the “sudden death” tie-breaker (a winner-takes-all scenario where the first to win two consecutive points wins the match) in the quarters, semis, and the final.

“UTS is tiring, tough, super intense” the champion told Tennis Majors. “If people had a heartbeat monitor and they saw our heart between the stress of the points, between the intensity and having minimum rest between the points, we were super high. You have to respect the effort that Casper and I were trying to put so that the level and the show were good.”

In front of a capacity crowd of 13,000 on Saturday, Auger-Aliassime didn’t just win; he entertained. Feeding off the electric atmosphere in the Arènes de Nîmes, the Canadian looked right at home : “That’s why I love playing in France, whether it’s this event that is the first time that I play in France. Any events, 250 ATP’s, the Rolex Paris Masters and obviously Roland Garros, I’ve always enjoyed playing in France. It’s kind of a second home to me, coming from the French side of Canada.”

All eyes on Monte-Carlo

As Casper Ruud noted following his quarter-final win on Friday, UTS serves as a perfect high-speed tune-up for the clay-court season. His conqueror in the final echoed that sentiment. While he isn’t setting specific expectations, Auger-Aliassime is eager to test his form immediately at the Monte-Carlo Masters, which kicks off this Sunday.

I hope to be consistent over the entire clay court season until Roland-Garros”, said the Canadian, who is looking to bounce back after a disappointing first-round exit in Paris last year. “If I can already qualify for the quarter-finals at this Monte-Carlo tournament, give myself a chance to play the best players in the world and see how I match up compared to their level, I hope to be at these big meetings.”

Auger-Aliassime’s path in Monte-Carlo is already taking shape: he will face either Marin Cilic or a qualifier in the opening round. Should the seeds hold, a mouth-watering rematch against Casper Ruud looms in the round of 16.