Felix Auger-Aliassime has made a positive start to life under new coach Ivan Ljubicic.
Auger-Aliassime split with his long-term coach Frederic Fontang after Wimbledon this year, but did not announce his replacement until before the Shanghai Masters, when he confirmed former world number three and Roger Federer’s former coach Ljubicic as his new coach.
Before even playing his first tournament under his new coach, Auger-Aliassime revealed what Ljubicic had been telling him as he looked to help improve the Canadian’s game.
Auger-Aliassime appears to have been using these words of advice after winning his two first matches in Shanghai, and he has now revealed the specific advice he received from Ljubicic before he beat Pablo Carreno Busta 6-3, 4-6, 6-1.
Felix Auger-Aliassime discloses what Ivan Ljubicic told him to do vs Pablo Carreno Busta
Auger-Aliassime had suffered some disappointing results at the US Open and the China Open, but he appears to be finding form again in Shanghai.
In mixed zone after reaching the fourth round of the Shanghai Masters, Auger-Aliassime revealed what Ljubicic told him to do against Carreno Busta.
“No, it’s quite similar,” Auger-Aliassime responded when asked if Carreno Busta played how he expected. “He has a good forehand down the line, he can hurt you with that. Obviously he can serve, he’s not like, that’s not his biggest weapon, but he can sometimes serve well.
“Overall, it was to not give him any rhythm. I think that was the last message from the coach was just to try to step in, try to dictate the rallies from the first shots, and not get into too many rallies where we just follow the same patterns.”
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Auger-Aliassime will now face his highest-ranked opponent at the Shanghai Masters in 20th seed Casper Ruud.
This will be a ninth meeting between the two players, with Auger-Aliassime leading the head-to-head against Ruud 5-3. Ruud originally led the head-to-head 3-1, but Auger-Aliassime has won their last four matches, including this year at the Monte Carlo Masters.
| Year | Tournament | Result |
| 2019 | Miami Open (R128) | Auger-Aliassime beat Ruud, 3-6 6-1 6-2 |
| 2021 | Madrid Open (R64) | Ruud beat Auger-Aliassime, 6-1 6-4 |
| 2022 | Canadian Open (QF) | Ruud beat Auger-Aliassime, 6-1 6-2 |
| 2022 | ATP Finals (RR) | Ruud beat Auger-Aliassime, 7-6(4) 6-4 |
| 2024 | Madrid Open (R16) | Auger-Aliassime beat Ruud, 6-4 7-5 |
| 2024 | Paris Olympics (QF) | Auger-Aliassime beat Ruud, 6-4 6(8)-7 6-3 |
| 2024 | Cincinnati Open (R32) | Auger-Aliassime beat Ruud, 6-3 6-1 |
| 2026 | Monte Carlo Masters (R16) | Auger-Aliassime beat Ruud, 7-5 2-2 (Ruud retired) |
When asked about what this match, Auger-Aliassime revealed that he was expecting a ‘tough’ test from Ruud.
“Yeah, on clay we play maybe similar style, you know, run around, hit forehands,” Auger-Aliassime said about his recent matches against Ruud. “On hard court, it’s a bit different. We have had our fair share of matches also on hard courts, Turin as well.
“So, let’s see. I expect a tough one. He’s one of those guys, when he’s locked in, he barely misses, and can hit huge off the forehand, so it’s going to be a good matchup.”
Auger-Aliassime will play Ruud on Wednesday, October 14, with the winner of the match facing either Rafael Jodar or Botic van de Zandschulp.
