"I wish Rafael Nadal the very best, but he knows that it's going to be difficult" - Felix Auger-Aliassime on Spaniard's chances against Novak Djokovic in French Open QF

Felix Auger-Aliassime created French Open history in his fourth-round defeat to Rafael Nadal on Sunday, becoming only the third player to force the Spaniard into a fifth set in Paris.

Auger-Aliassime, who is now coached by Toni Nadal, went down 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 as a result of which the Spaniard advanced to the quarterfinals where he will take on arch-rival Novak Djokovic.

At his post-match press conference, the 21-year-old was asked to share his thoughts about the eagerly-awaited contest between Djokovic and Nadal. He opined that taking on the World No. 1 could prove to be a difficult task for the Spaniard.

"Well, I wish Rafa the very best, I admire him greatly in everything that he's done. He's somebody who I really like, and so I wish him the very best for the next match," he said.

"But then I think that he also knows that it's going to be difficult," he added.

The Canadian explained that after a gruelling fourth-round encounter and a tough quarterfinal in sight against Djokovic, winning a 14th title in Paris would take a "monumental effort" from Nadal.

"We played for a long time today and it's still the quarterfinals and afterwards there's still two more matches to win to win the tournament," he said. "Rafa is coming here to win the tournament. So, as I said, I really wish him the very best, but it will be a monumental effort for him, I think, to win."

Auger-Aliassime added that both tennis greats would "give it their all" in the quarterfinals.

"But as he and Novak have always done, they will give it their all right through to the end and it will be a great battle," said the Canadian.

Interestingly, Djokovic and John Isner - the only other players to have forced Nadal into a fifth set at Roland Garros - also ended up losing to the Spaniard.

"If his foot was hurting, he didn't show it" - Felix Auger-Aliassime on Rafael Nadal

The Canadian said he noticed nothing amiss about his opponent's fitness

According to Auger-Aliassime, Nadal, whose fitness coming into the tournament has been a major talking point, did not display any signs of discomfort on the court during their fourth-round clash.

"If his foot was hurting, he didn't show it," the Canadian stated.

Even so, the 2021 US Open semifinalist was quick to point out that players often attempt to "hide fatigue or discomfort."

"Visually, not really. But then I'm not really sure," he said. "I think that at a high level, we never feel on top of the world. I was not fresh throughout the match, but we try to hide what we're feeling. We try to hide fatigue or discomfort, physical discomfort."

Nadal and Djokovic will clash for the 59th time when they meet at Roland Garros on Tuesday.

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