Heart of a Champion: Ivan Lendl

It is so great to hear positive stories like this one. 🙂

Martina was always popular in England, especially at Wimbledon as she grew older. The crowds respected her and liked her.
Doesn’t matter what fans or commentators think/say.

scoop said:

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Scoop Malinowski writes:

Fiero426, the media has its agendas and narratives and it sticks to them. Lendl was an easy target. McEnroe as a New Yorker was always going to get the preferential treatment. Lendl was always nice to me, he was the first big name tennis great who I ever did a Biofile with, at Hamlet Cup in 92. And most recently he did a nice interview about Facing McEnroe. Martina was harder to get, she gave me the "you have to go through the proper channels" line when I approached her for a spontaneous interview a few years ago.Click to expand…

She's probably felt bitten by impromptu interviews! She's mentioned how we talk a good game about free speech, but some writers have turned it on her and made her to feel unwelcomed as a naturalized citizen! She's not allowed to always give her opinion due to those people you mentioned who have an agenda and can't be trusted to be fair! I don't blame her! I still remember the snide attitudes of some back in the 70's & 80's! It was quite despicable and offensive at times! They made it seem like big ol' strong lesbian was beating up on little Chrissie! Even though they were friends, Evert didn't do much about it since she was being generously endorsed and didn't want to seem political! :facepalm: :banghead: :cuckoo: 😳 :spank2:

I had a browse through some of those Xmas Twitters from players (I know, I know, get a life) and half of them look as though they’re posing in shop windows. Artificial trees, artificial presents, artificial people, loopy comments.

Funny thing about twitter – you never hear from a player when things aren’t going well. Then a good win, a new boyfriend/girlfriend/wedding/baby and normal service is resumed 🙂

Scoop, thanks for the info. I went to Denis’ Instagram to look at the pics. Max still needs to lean over, just not as far. 🙂

And now I have spent ages going through Denis’ pics – his Instagram is quite good, lots of tennis pics with a few of family, friends, and pups.

Catherine, I should not try to multitask. Just realised I should have addressed my last post to you, not to Scoop.

Hartt – as Scoop says, why don’t you post here as well ?
Maybe change slightly, but it would be another outlet and a bit different from MCM. Lots happening in Canadian tennis in the future.

Hartt – or you can do the same with mouse right click. I’m probably about the same as you re computer skills. Can never post links because they come up black, not blue/green. If Scoop has an explanation for this I’d be grateful.

Looking forward to Hopman Cup. Bencic says says she’s learning to relax in her tennis, following Roger’s example.

Betting Pav will be facing up to Kerber and relishing the prospect. Saw a clip with Angie at Clublasanta promoting the club and talking about trying new things, with her new team. Sounds as if she’s had a clearout along with coach. So we’ll see.

Yes – Disqus probably has a mind of its own when it comes to things like copying.
Unfortunately I can’t copy any link at all but I’ll keep trying.

The copy here did not show the pics, so will try copying directly from Disqus. The first one is very short, and the pics are important.

Today I am looking at Felix’s background. He was born in Montreal on August 8, 2000. So he shares a birthday with Federer, just 19 years later. At 17, Felix is less than half Fed’s age. But, as fara keeps reminding us, Roger is old!

Felix’s father, Sam Aliassime, is from Togo and is a tennis coach. His mother, Marie Auger, is from Quebec. Malika, Felix’s older sister, plays college tennis. Felix’s dad introduced the youngster to tennis when he was either 4 or 5 years old.

Felix is congratulated by his mother after his 2R win at the Granby Challenger, age 14. That is probably his dad just behind her, (we can’t see his face), but could not find a good pic of him. (Although there is a nice video of him hugging Felix after the kid won the junior USO.)

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Felix grew up in a suburb of Quebec City, but at age 9 was accepted into Tennis Canada’s National Junior Training Program in Montreal, a part-time program. He entered the full-time program at age 14 and gives the program a lot of credit, saying he would not be where he is today without the Centre. It looks like his family moved to Montreal, because that is his current residence.

Felix at age 10, when he won Canada’s U12 national indoor title.

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Felix says he favourite surface is hard court, his favourite shots are FH and serve. Early in his career he said his favourite tournament was RG, but later changed that to USO (maybe because of winning the boys’ title there).

His idols growing up were Fed and Tsonga. Although we know that he had a poster of Rafa on his wall, because Shapo insisted Felix take it down before he had to face Rafa at Rogers Cup.

He enjoys watching movies and playing the piano. “It’s important to have a life outside of tennis, and music is something you can do to get your mind off it.” (The Telegraph, Dec. 1, 2017). He has said that if he weren’t a tennis player he would be a musician or a football (soccer) player. He supports the Montreal Canadiens hockey team and admires Usain Bolt. His favourite cuisine is Italian, so he should try very hard to make the Next Gen finals in Milan next year.

Felix is finishing high school and he has stated that school is important and he tries to get good grades.

He has been linked romantically to fellow Canadian tennis player, Charlotte Robillard-Millette, but it is not clear if they are still an item.

This pic is from 2015.

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Felix is currently listed as 6’3″ and 185 lbs. As Denis has said, he is huge, (especially for a 17-year-old). I hope he does not grow any more – this seems quite big enough for a tennis player!

Felix’s native language is French, but he speaks excellent English, with a charming French accent. He has said that one of the things he misses when on the tour is speaking his language. (He also misses his family and Montreal.)

(Most of the info came from the ATP site and Wikipedia.)
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Hartt Hartt • 9 days ago
I did find a pic of Sam Aliassime and Malika, but did not know how to include it as an edit.

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The theme for today’s Felix post is his overall career, with a focus on the important matches and tournaments.

For such a young player, Felix has had several highlights. Currently ranked No.162, he has won 2 Futures and reached the finals in 2 more. He won 2 Challenger tourneys, both this year. And he has won 1 Futures doubles title, Nov. 2016, in the US with partner Patrick Kypson.

His stats, which include Futures and Challengers, show a win-loss record for 2017 of 37-16 and of 62-31 for his career to date, a very healthy win rate.

His first important Challenger matches took place when he was still a 14-year-old junior. At the Drummondville Challenger in March 2015, when Felix was about 14 years, 8 months old, he became the youngest player to qualify for a main draw in ATP Challenger history. Unfortunately, after getting through the qualies he was not able to play the first round match because of an abdominal strain. But he was still the first player born in the 21st Century to earn an ATP point and thus have a ranking. In the qualies you could see some of Felix’s strengths – a very good serve and excellent movement. He even hit a beautiful BH volley, much to my delight. Felix was in the middle of a growth spurt and was already 5′ 10″ and 145 lbs.

Just a few months later, “in Granby he mowed through three opponents in the qualifying round and then became the youngest ever winner of a Challenger tournament match.” (Globe and Mail, July 24, 2015.) Felix was still a couple weeks away from his 15th birthday, the Globe article claimed there ball kids older than he was.

This was also the tourney where Felix had the famous 43 shot rally in his match against Darian King, Felix finally winning the rally with a terrific drop shot.

Felix’s play was drawing a lot of praise. Davis Cup captain Martin Laurendeau said: “I keep using the word incredible to describe it. . . . It really is kind of hard to believe.” And also: “He is relentless, he’s like a boxer who just keeps coming.” (Globe and Mail)

The author of the Globe and Mail article summed up Felix’s play: “To watch Auger-Aliassime is to be awed by his technical proficiency. He changes speeds, booms serves, uses spin, hits deftly-angled returns, covers the court like a tarp, volleys crisply – the full-meal deal.”

Felix got to the SF, where he lost to 19-year-old Nishioka, then ranked No. 140. Felix was ranked No 1,237 but would move into the top 800 after that match. He had reached 6’1″.

Felix won his first Futures title in Nov. 2016 in Birmingham, USA, on clay. A couple months later he reached the final of another Futures clay tourney, this time in Plantation, USA.

Then, he won the Sherbrooke Futures in early March, 2017, over French player Gleb Sakharov, who was ranked No. 276 to Felix’s 511. Gleb won his SF match when an ill Shapovalov gave him a WO. Otherwise there may have been an all-Canuck final.

Felix after the Sherbrooke win.

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This tournament was a precursor of things to come.

Today I will explore Felix’s Challenger titles. both won this year.

After Felix won his first Futures tournament last November in Birmingham, USA, he decided to turn pro, although he was still only 16 years old. But that win gave him the confidence that he could compete with the professionals.

I discussed his 2nd Futures title, at Sherbrooke in March, in my last post. So now it is time to examine one of his biggest wins to date, his first Challenger title in Lyon, France.

One of Felix’s goals for 2017 was to win a Challenger, so when Lyon graciously gave him a wildcard for their June tournament, he grabbed the opportunity. “I played some of my best tennis of this year at the end of that Lyon Challenger.” (Steve Flink, “Felix Auger-Aliassime is Climbing Swiftly,” Oct. 2017) In the final Felix beat French player, Mathias Bourgue, 6-4, 6-1, in 1 hour, 19 minutes. Although the first set was competitive, as the score shows, Felix ran away with the second. The French crowd was very good about applauding Felix’s good shots, and gave him a lovely ovation at the end, even though he had won over their native son.

The youngster credited the mental aspect of his game (along with his serve) for the title. “I was staying very solid mentally. It’s tough playing adults here. It’s very different from the juniors and Futures.” (ATP site)

Felix’s reference to “playing adults” is a reminder of just how young he was. At 16 years, 10 months, Felix was the 7th youngest player to win an ATP Challenger. Rafa was slightly younger when he accomplished that – 16 years, 9 months in 2002, but Novak was slightly older, at 17 years, 0 months in 2004. It shows what rare company Felix was in.

Felix made a jump in the ranking to No. 231, and was the youngest player to make the top 250 since Delpo in 2005.

Felix in Lyon.

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Felix was given a WC for the Rogers Cup, a Masters tournament. This would be extra special because he was slated to play on August 8, his 17th birthday. But a wrist injury kept him out of the tourney, in fact he was off the tour for several weeks, returning to play the qualies at the USO. There he won his first round in qualies, but lost to Stakhovsky, 7-6(8), 6-4, in the second round.

His third tourney back was the Challenger in Seville, Spain. “After that (the USO) I went straight to Europe to get back into competition. I wasn’t playing my best but I was hanging in there mentally. I have made such great efforts mentally after the injury and it has paid off as I won my second Challenger.” (Flink)

It was not easy. Felix had a tough SF against Filip Krajinovic. And we know, from Filip’s exploits in Paris how good he can be. The final was against Spaniard Inigo Cervantes. Felix came back from a 6-7. 0-3 deficit to win the match 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-3. Once again, there was a surprising amount of crowd support for Felix, including some kids who yelled loudly for him. Cervantes even complained about it following the match, but one can understand his frustration, after it looked like the title would be his.

And Felix had some new stats. He was the third player in history to win multiple Challenger titles at such a young age – Rafa and Gasquet were the others. His ranking went to No.168 (the youngest to enter top 200 since Rafa in 2002). And Felix, ranked No. 162, is currently the youngest player in the top 200.

“It’s unbelievable how quick it has been this last year [for me]. In November of 2016 I was winning my first Futures title and now here I am with two Challenger titles. This happens only when the level is there and the head is straight.” (Flink)

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Today’s installment of I Hartt Felix looks at the friendship between Felix and Shapo. (Thanks, Monkey, for the title suggestion.)

“Auger-Aliassime admits the pair enjoy something of a ‘bromance’ – as is well documented on social media – and his eyes light up when talking about their friendship.” (Telegraph, Dec. 2017)

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At a Wimby press conference, 2016.

Denis is 16 months older than Felix and they first met when Denis was 9 and Felix 8. They became friends in the summer of 2015 when they played doubles as a team and travelled to some tourneys together. They had success as a doubles team in juniors, winning the junior USO doubles in 2015 and reaching the junior Wimby finals the next year. Unfortunately, Denis was gassed, both physically and mentally after his exploits in singles, so they had to be satisfied with the RU plates.

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Denis and Felix playing junior USO.

After their USO victory they were part of the team, along with Benjamin Sigouin, that won the junior Davis Cup. “It got us even closer,” said Felix. (Telegraph, Dec. 2017)

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The two youngsters are fiercely competitive with one another, even in practice, but they manage to still have fun. For example, before leaving for this year’s USO they had a bet that whoever lost their practice match would have to wear a large, brightly-coloured sombrero. Denis wanted the loser to wear it to the airport, but Felix was more sensible and suggested that it just be around the tennis centre. Shapo was lucky with that agreement because he was the loser.

Felix describes their relationship well: “Denis and I are in competition on court but it is a healthy rivalry and that is what pushes us to become better because, at the end of the day, outside of tennis, we are really close friends. We are like family to each other. But once we step on the court, either in practice or in matches, it is really great competition.” (Flink, Dec. 2017)

“Denis and I like talking about the game and he is really encouraging in my career and really supportive even though we are in competition. He really wants the best for me and I want the best for him.” (Flink, Dec. 2017)

On Denis’ influence, “He sets a good example for me but tennis is a singular sport and everyone has a different path.” (Flink, Dec. 2017)

Felix and Denis did have some matches against each other before turning pro. For example, Denis lost to Felix in the SFs of the under-12 national championships, and cried afterwards. But he had more success in their one pro match to date, in the Drummondville Challenger SF earlier this year. Denis was definitely the better player that day, winning 7-5, 6-3. Felix admitted this was a tough loss because it put an an end to his opportunity to win his first Challenger title. “It is not easy to play your best friend, even though you want to put that on the side once you step on the court.” (Flink, Dec. 2017)

One dream the two youngsters share is playing on Canada’s Davis Cup team together, “that would be awesome.” They also want to bring Canadian tennis to another level. As Denis has said, he hopes to inspire more Canadian kids to pick up a tennis racquet instead of a hockey stick. (Sportsnet, Sept. 2017)

Felix sums it up; “Obviously it’s great to be part of this history with this guy.” (Sportsnet, Sept. 2017)

Some people have expressed skepticism about whether Felix and Denis will be able to maintain their close friendship once they are competing for big titles. And how will Denis feel if his younger compatriot passes him?

So far their results have been surprisingly similar. Each has won a junior Slam and each has won two Challenger titles, although Denis has 4 Futures singles titles to Felix’s two. Denis has a much higher ranking, No. 51 to Felix’s No. 162. But Felix is actually ahead of Denis at the same stage of their careers. At the end of last season, when he was 17, Denis stood at No. 250.

Obviously we don’t know what the future will bring, but many experts think that Felix has an even higher ceiling than Denis. They are both supremely talented, extremely ambitious (even driven), hard working, and receiving good support from Tennis Canada. Their friendly rivalry helps push each other to continually improve. I think their friendship will survive whatever happens. And certainly Canadian tennis fans have dreams of a Davis Cup in the future with these two wonderful players on the same team.

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Oh – looks as if it’s worked 🙂

Scoop, first thanks for the advice on copying those posts. Along with being able to post them here, it means I was able to save them to Word instead of having to search for them later on.

Agree that the relationship between Felix and Denis, how it will work in the future is an intriguing question. It certainly won’t be easy if they both end up being top players. I hope they can remain friends, it has to make the Tour a lot less lonely if you have a close friend also playing. Because Felix is still playing Challengers they aren’t at the same tourneys now, and they are training in different places. So they probably don’t get to actually see one another very often. But that could change once Felix can play more main Tour tournaments.

For the Fed fans

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=k0v9heiZMlE

http://www.asapsports.com/show_interview.php?id=17870