“I’ve played a long year” – Felix Auger-Aliassime ran out of steam against Fritz in his 21st match in a month and a half

After a career-best 57 wins, his first four ATP titles and a berth in the prestigious ATP Finals, Felix Auger-Aliassime will head into the off-season surrounded by nothing but good vibes.

And, when it finally ends after next week’s Davis Cup, he’ll be due an extended vacation.

On Friday the Canadian dropped a tense three-set battle to Taylor Fritz, missing out on his chance to take part in the semi-finals at Turin when he dropped the final four games to the American. He admitted he was not himself in the final set, and chalked it up to the fatigue that has been building in him over the last six weeks as he reeled off 16 consecutive wins and three titles to ensure his qualification at these Nitto ATP Finals.

“Bad choices, bad execution”

Auger-Aliassime drops to 57-27 on the season, but the loss will do nothing to quell the excitement that he and his team feel after a season of breaking through barriers. This is a player, after all, that entered 2022 with an 0-8 record in ATP finals, with many questioning his ability to win big matches on the sports’ elite stages.

He has proved that he can – just not today.

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“It’s unfortunate,” he told reporters after the loss. “Myself, I had chances in the second set. I had a clear chance on a return. Probably would have helped to win that set not in the tiebreak the way I did.

“After the third set, bad choices, bad execution some parts. Maybe I lost the focus a little bit. The fact that I’m tired, sometimes you don’t feel like you’re tired, but it’s late, you’ve played a lot. I’ve played a long year. Sometimes without feeling, you make bad choices, few mistakes, double-faults, just because your brain is not as sharp. That’s what happened.”

Full credit to Fritz

Always a pillar or sportsmanship, the Canadian made sure to credit Fritz for keeping his cool under pressure and pushing through for the victory.

“I have to give credit to him because the way I came back in the second set, for him to stay present, to still play well in that third set, it’s a great effort from him,” he said.

Canada will face Germany in Spain at Davis Cup on November 24, which gives Auger-Aliassime a few days to rest, but not a very long off-season. That’s a bridge he’ll have to cross when he gets to it…

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