Miami semifinalist Auger-Aliassime now entering tournaments to win

Canadian teenager Felix Auger-Aliassime is going into tournaments with a different attitude following his recent run of success on the ATP Tour.

The 18-year-old has reached a final and two semifinals in his four most recent events, including the semifinals of the Miami Open. Having begun the season below the top 100, he is now No. 33 in the rankings.

"Where I am now, with the confidence I have, I go into every tournament believing I can win and go all the way," Auger-Aliassime told Canadian journalists this week at Montreal, saying his rapid rise began with his wins at the South American clay events. "You get into a rhythm and you get a lot of confidence, and everything falls into place."

But it was a lack of confidence that affected Auger-Aliassime during his Miami semifinal against John Isner, where he was broken while serving for both the first and second sets, producing numerous double faults. Still, he says it gives him something to work on.

"The importance of the match kind of hit me psychologically. It shows I have room to improve, and I make errors," said Auger-Aliassime.

The junior prodigy, who won his first Challenger match at 14 years old, also wants to keep climbing higher.

"I’m on the right track, but there are a lot of young players, playing well. The ultimate dream is to win a Grand Slam and be No. 1," he said.

At the moment, he still has a few weeks left before he can even get straight into ATP events. Tournament entries are decided using rankings from six weeks before, when he was still much further down. Having received a wildcard into Madrid, he also plans to ask for one into Monte Carlo, but will play qualifying if he does not.