"He has all the pieces of puzzle" - Henman after impressive comeback win by Auger-Aliassime

Tim Henman has praised Felix Auger-Aliassime for the maturity and experience he displayed in his comeback victory over Juan Pablo Varillas in the first round of the French Open.

“It’s a great effort. Because, you know, Auger-Aliasime comes into the match as the clear favourite but then loses the first two sets 6-2 6-2 against a qualifier ranked 125 in the world so it would have been very easy for him to panic at that stage."

Henman further added:

"I think there are some times when people have questioned his competitive spirit, you know when things are not going well, but I think he showed a lot of maturity, he didn’t panic. Then he slowly started to turn the match around so, from a really bad situation, Auger-Aliassime can take some confidence in coming through that match."

Asked whether Auger could make a deep run, Henman expressed positive belief:

"I look at his game and you look at his athletic ability; he has all the pieces of the puzzle and he’s so powerful. He moves so well, he came forward and played some beautiful drop volleys at times, but for me, it’s dealing with the adversity. When things are going great, he can beat anyone, but it’s when he’s not quite on his game that he struggles. It’s a good example of him learning his trade and showing a little bit of experience when it wasn’t going well."