Felix Auger-Aliassime is in Mallorca, where he paid a visit to the Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy and the Museum there.
Early in the year, the Canadian certainly didn't meet his expectations, as he had a fantastic end to the 2022 season, qualifying for the ATP Finals, where he lost two of the three matches in the round-robin stage.
In 2023, he lost in his first match in Adelaide to Alexei Popyrin, before Jiri Lehecka from the Czech Republic eliminated him in the fourth round of the 2023 Australian Open.
Now, with his next tournament a few days away, Auger-Aliassime had time to meet one of his childhood heroes, Rafael Nadal, and his academy in Mallorca.
The Spaniard also didn't enjoy the best time on the court in 2023, as he lost already in the second round of the 2023 Australian Open, and he has been out of play since then due to an injury sustained at the event.
In addition to visiting the facilities, Nadal welcomed him and gave him a tour of everything while he was there. The link between them is Toni Nadal, who used to coach his nephew and now coaches Auger-Aliassime, who developed into a reliable performer under the Spaniard in the previous 18 months.
Auger-Aliassime got the opportunity to observe every trophy Nadal won, including ones that he aspires to win someday. Under Toni Nadal's cautious eye, he also worked on his technique with one of the young talents working in the academy.
Auger-Aliassime will make his return to the tennis courts soon as he is set to compete at the 2023 Rotterdam Open next week. He won the tournament last year, and this year, he will enter it with the pressure of the defending champion, with more titles left to defend later in the season.
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