Speaking to Eurosport, Felix Auger-Aliassime opened up about his difficult 2023 season and his relationship with coach Toni Nadal. He discussed why Rafael Nadal’s uncle was missing from his staff during some tournaments. The Canadian also expressed his ambition to win a Grand Slam title.
Continued fitness struggles saw Auger-Aliassime exit the top 10, ultimately ending the season ranked World No.29. He lifted only one title as he failed to leave a mark on the Tour. Toni Nadal was conspicuous by his absence for a handful of his pupil’s games, especially in the latter half of the season. He was seen in videos shared by his nephew, Rafael, documenting his return to tennis after a year out. Even fans did not approve of his absence, imploring the 23-year-old to get a new coach.
In an interview with Eurosport (via Tennis World USA), Auger-Aliassime admitted that 2023 was tough and was unsure whether he would even complete the season. He disclosed that while Toni did not accompany him for some events, they aimed to have him around more. He said everything is working well in the presence of his other coach, Frederic Fontang.
“2023 was complicated by injuries and uncertainties. In September I was training in Montreal and I wasn’t sure if I would finish the season. It was difficult to engage Toni and ask him to join me in some tournaments, so for a certain period, he didn’t accompany me. But the goal is for his presence to be more constant. Everything is still fine with Frederic Fontang.”
Auger-Aliassime praised his staff, saying they do not work with ‘specific’ goals. Instead, they work on improving constantly and going for the big trophy, a Grand Slam.
“I like the way my team works. They often ask me for specific objectives, but even as a team we never talk about them in these terms. Rather we ask ourselves what we should do to be better or to win a Slam. We’re really focused on the things we need to do every day to improve, for us that’s the main thing. But my ambitions have always been the same since I was a teenager: to go all the way and win a Slam. I think I can do it.”
Felix Auger-Aliassime had a poor 2023 with Toni Nadal partnership under the scanner
Felix Auger-Aliassime began the 2023 season as World No.6 but fell over 20 places by the time the Tour ended. His association with Toni Nadal courted a lot of controversy. Many alleged the Spaniard was more focused on helping Rafael Nadal return to the court. The former World No.1 last played in the second round of the 2023 Australian Open and has been on an injury break since.
Rafa shared a clip of him working out as his uncle watched on. This was around the time Auger-Aliassime was struggling in the North American swing, the time when he revealed he considered ending his season early as mentioned above.
After a great 2022 season with Toni, Auger-Aliassime’s 2023 faltered as his relationship with his coach was questioned. He started the season decently, reaching the fourth round at the Australian Open and the quarter-finals at the Indian Wells Masters. However, it went pear-shaped after that. He exited all Grand Slams in the opening round and did not fare much better on the ATP Tour.
His ATP Masters record W/L record stood at 6-8, three of those wins coming at Indian Wells, the first ATP 1000 of the season. He did manage to defend his Swiss Indoors title, winning the ATP 500 event in October.
Injuries came back to haunt him as he was forced to miss Canada’s Davis Cup campaign. The North American nation’s title defence faltered in his absence, as they lost in the quarterfinals to Finland. With the 2024 season on the horizon, Auger-Aliassime will hope to get in sync with Toni Nadal and rediscover the form that made him one of the best young players.
