Félix Auger-Aliassime is looking for a new coach to help take him to the next level.
Auger-Aliassime ended his six-year association with Guillaume Marx last month, saying that their collaboration had “reached its limit.”
While Auger-Aliassime will continue to work with French coach Frédéric Fontang, he said he’s looking for a coach who has guided to a player to a Grand Slam or has won such a title as a player.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while,” Auger-Aliassime said Monday during a videoconference call. “It was time for me to seek new advice and have new challenges to take me to the next level.
“The way the points system is structured makes the Grand Slams crucial for the standings,” explained Auger-Aliassime. “These four tournaments that have a higher priority than the other, and we are looking to find ways to put me in the best position for these four occasions, although I know that I shouldn’t neglect the rest of the calendar either.”
Auger-Aliassime said there’s no timeline for finding a new coach. It may be a difficult process because the number of people meet his criteria is limited, though the chance to work with a rising talent will be attractive.
For the second year in a row, the 20-year-old Montrealer finished the season at No. 21 in the ATP rankings and is the top-ranked player under the age of 21. He said he felt he made progress though his ranking remained the same.
“To reach three finals, to win a big doubles title in Paris and to reach the second week of a Grand Slam for the first time at the U.S. Open, these are positives,” said Auger-Aliassime. “There were ups and downs but I got positive feedback from this year. Most importantly, I was happy with the way I elevated my game and my maturity, how I grew as a person.”
Auger-Aliassime has yet to win an ATP Tour singles event, but he has reached six finals. In his three finals appearances this year, he lost to top-10 players — Gaël Monfils in Rotterdam, Stefanos Tsitsipas in Marseille and Alexander Zverev in Cologne. At the U.S. Open, he beat former world No. 1 Andy Murray in the second round and lost to eventual champion Dominic Thiem in the round of 16.
Following the lead of good friend and compatriot Denis Shapovalov, Auger-Aliassime played more doubles events this year to improve his net game. That decision paid off big when he teamed with Hubert Hurcacz if Poland to win the title at the Paris Masters. It was only the second time they played together but they beat four seeded teams en route to the title.
While almost half the season was wiped out because of the virus, Auger-Aliassime banked more than US$1.14 million in official earnings.
Auger-Aliassime, who is currently quarantining at home in Montreal, said it was a difficult year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“There was uncertainty at several points in the year over whether we were ever going to play again and, when I look at society in general and seeing what’s happening, I feel really privileged that I had a chance to play,” he said.
That uncertainty is carrying over to 2021. The next Grand Slam on the calendar is the Australian Open. It is scheduled to begin on Jan. 14 but that date seems unlikely. There are reports that it could be pushed back to February or March. Australian officials said they hope to confirm a date in the next two weeks.