The last time the young Canadian played on the clay, he was still a teenager. Auger-Aliassime lost in the final of the tournament in Lyon to Benoit Paire back in May 2019. Now, he will play the 2020 Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome as he spoke to the press ahead of the tournament.

“I think it’s great [that Rafael Nadal returned] and especially he’s the big favourite here. We’ll see how he feels in his first match back since the break,” Auger-Aliassime said. “But for sure having those top guys still in the game is obviously great for the sport."

“At the same time we’re going to have a new Grand Slam champion, maybe who is also going to bring interest to younger players, different players. It’s a good mix and it’s a good time for tennis to come back both with these upcoming players and these great champions still in those draws.”

"It felt great. I got my first win in Cincinnati first round. That winning feeling again that you didn’t get for six months, you realise that as a tennis player that’s what you were missing,” Auger-Aliassime said. “We’re competitors. I sure am. Winning a match, that’s what I think you miss the most.”

“It’s a challenge, especially for my part. I haven’t played on clay for more than a year now. Obviously having the clay season pushed back,” Auger-Aliassime said. “We’re not going to get many tournaments in [on clay], so you’ve got to try and be sharp from the start. It’s already a big tournament here in Rome with big players lined up. I’ve been doing the most trying to adapt to the best that I can. But we’ll see how it goes. For sure you have to be ready to adapt and fight through your wins.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CE91_-5nUnT/