Felix Auger-Aliassime has a habit of blowing big leads to players from France. FAA, who entered Indian Wells as the 9th seed, was leading 30th-seed Arthur Fils from France 5-0 and then 6-3 in the second set tie-breaker. But he ended up losing the tiebreaker and the match.
Back in 2016, FAA blew three match points and lost the Roland Garros junior final to Geoffrey Blancaneaux, also from France.
Felix was 15 years old at that time. Only he will know if that Roland Garros loss has impacted his career the past 10 years.
While he has broken into the ATP top 10 during different phases of his career, he has never won a truly big match in his life. He won six smaller titles on indoor hardcourts (Rotterdam, Florence, Antwerp, Montpellier and Basel twice) plus one outdoor hardcourt title in Adelaide in early 2025. He has lost 11 finals including the 2024 Madrid Masters, where he benefited from walk-overs. Throughout his career, he has double-faulted or committed errors at crucial moments in matches.
After his collapse against Fils at Indian Wells, his team needs to have an honest conversation about why FAA tends to fold under pressure. If he’s carrying baggage from the 2016 junior final in Paris, he needs to let it go.
Grand Slam Magazine 