Felix Auger-Aliassime has revealed the congratulatory message he received from Roger Federer after winning his maiden title at the Rotterdam Open last week.
The Canadian, seeded No. 3 at the ATP 500 tournament, survived a scare from Egor Gerasimov in the first round, before beating Andy Murray and Cameron Norrie in straight sets to reach the semifinals.
He fought back from a set down to beat reigning champion Andrey Rublev in the last four, before taking down top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-2 to win his first title in his ninth final.
Speaking to We Are Tennis, the 21-year-old said it felt great to finally get the monkey off his back, adding that Federer congratulated him on his triumph.
"It feels amazing, it's great, I mean, it's something I've been aiming for, for a long time," Auger-Aliassime said. "I was quite close a few times, like you all probably know. So to finally lift it was a special moment, very emotional moment for me and my family. Yea, a big relief."
"Yes it's true, he (Federer) sent me a message. He said to me, 'I am happy for you.' It's a nice feeling."
When asked about how he celebrated his win, the World No. 9 said he had dinner with his family and his girlfriend.
"I kept it very simple," the Canadian said. "With my family, and my girlfriend and my team and then just a nice, nice dinner, we toasted to a bottle of champagne. And then, that's it, came back to the hotel, had to pack my bags as I was leaving next morning. That's the life of a tennis player."
Felix Auger-Aliassime shifts focus to Marseille
Following his triumph in Rotterdam, Felix Auger-Aliassime traveled to Marseille to compete at the Open 13, where he is the third seed. He received a bye to the second round, where he will face home favorite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Victory for the Canadian would secure a quarterfinal showdown with fifth seed Ilya Ivashka. He is projected to meet Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semifinals.
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