Felix Auger-Aliassime reveals the key area Carlos Alcaraz has massively improved

Alcaraz secured a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Auger-Aliassime, extending his lead in their head-to-head record to 5-3. It is also his fifth straight win against the Canadian, who once held a 3-0 advantage before the run began in 2023.

Reflecting on their recent encounters, Auger-Aliassime pointed out one specific area of the Spaniard’s game that has really developed: the serve.

He said in his press conference: “I mean, for a guy who was doing everything well, but I remember let’s say three or four years ago, everybody was saying, the serve, the serve. He’s serving crazy good. He did that amazing. The rest of the game has always been good.

“He can change directions with both shots. He puts pressure on you in a different way. You don’t know what to expect. He’s playing at a very high speed. I think that was most challenging.”

In their semi-final encounter, Alcaraz proved dominant on his serve, firing five aces and securing 82% of points on his first serve. Crucially, he also fended off the lone break point he faced.

Felix Auger-Aliassime discusses whether he thinks he can close the gap on Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner

Alcaraz and Sinner have dominated men’s tennis recently, sharing the last eight Grand Slam titles between them.

In that landscape, Auger-Aliassime was asked if he sees himself as someone who can break through and challenge that dominance next year, and his answer left little doubt about his mindset.

“Future will tell. It’s great progression I’ve had this year. Like, I’ve always believed, since I’m a kid believed, and my ambition was to win Grand Slams and be number one in the world.

“I’ve had ups and downs, but honestly through it all I always believed I could be there. I still believe today. Now it’s a matter of, yeah, doing the right things to improve. If I do, we’ll see where that leaves me.”

The 25-year-old followed up by clarifying that while closing the gap is a goal, he is not solely focused on catching those two players.

“Everybody’s good. I can’t just focus on these two. Everybody above me, below me, young guys coming up. It’s high competition every year. You can have bad luck.

“But of course when I play these guys right now, the facts are they’re a level above everyone. Yeah, I’m going to need to put some work. I’ve never been afraid of some work, so it’s all good.”