Felix Auger-Aliassime excited for 'crazy, bizarre' US Open - The Players' Voice

Finally! We are all excited to be back. I landed in New York last Saturday and was tested for Covid-19 as soon as I arrived at my hotel. I then isolated until I got the results. Once I knew it was negative, I began my routine: training, preparation and so on. Everything is fine now.

All I can say is hats off to the USTA. They have created a very safe environment here at Flushing Meadows for us, the players. I was in France, in Monaco and it is almost the most secure here. Of course, the biggest question was about the travelling and the arrival at the airport. But even in the airport, there was nobody there.

Here at Flushing Meadows, everything is cleaned and disinfected all the time. Everybody wears masks. The workers, whether at the gym or the restaurant, they all wear masks and gloves. So, really, congrats to the organisation here in New York.

As a seed, I also have the chance to have a box in the Arthur Ashe Stadium and to get dressed in the locker rooms. It is not for all the players, unfortunately, but it is nice. All my team are with me in the box. We have sofas to rest on, a table for massages and, last but not least, a great view of the court to see the other players while they do their training sessions.

The only stress comes from it being the unknown. You never really know if you contracted the virus or not. I'm not really scared for myself, for my health. But I also must think about my team. I asked them to come with me here to New York, to travel from Europe at a troubling time, even if everybody does it willingly. So when we are all tested, of course, you have a bit of stress in waiting for the verdict. I was tested on Saturday, as I said, and then on Monday morning. We receive emails telling us when we will be tested. I guess it will be every two or three days.

I never really had any doubt about my presence here in New York. My biggest question was ‘isn't it strange to talk about the tennis calendar and tournaments when so many things are happening around the world with the coronavirus?’ But this is our world, our job, so I understand and accept that. Still, it is a bit strange to focus on tennis in that context.

Apart from all that, I really wanted to come. I had already flown from Canada to Monaco last spring, so after that it was just about flying the other way. Once I arrived in New York, I never really felt in any kind of danger regarding Covid-19 and I did not want to skip the US tournaments to focus on the European season because there are still a lot of questions in Europe too. If I have the chance to play at big tournaments here, particularly a Grand Slam, I want to take that opportunity. I am happy to play here, even if the conditions are, let's say, a bit strange without the fans.

The first few days it was not so strange to see an empty stadium. We always arrive before the tournament begins so it is normal to be training in front of empty seats. But when the tournament begins it will be the same with no crowd and then I really think it could be bizarre. That is the most annoying thing, to play without the fans. Of course, playing the Cincinnati Masters at Flushing Meadows is unusual. When you arrive in New York it is normally to play the US Open, not Cincinnati. So a few times I have had to tell myself, ‘hey Felix, remember, you have to play Cincy before the US Open!’

But still, it does not seem as strange to me as playing at a Grand Slam in front of… nobody. It is crazy, really. Will it impact the matches themselves? It is hard to say right now. Maybe in some ways. But I think the fact that we are playing the Cincinnati tournament before the US Open will give us some experience. It remains difficult to imagine how we will react when we will have to play a Grand Slam match in an empty Arthur Ashe Stadium. I guess we will all find out. I hope they will put out some ambient sound, as they did at the Ultimate Tennis Showdown. It could be nice for us.

Anyway, I am excited to be here. Sure, I have mixed memories at Flushing Meadows. I won the boy's tournament a few years ago. It was not long ago, I'm only 20, and for a young player, winning a title is always meaningful. The last two years I have lost in the first round against Denis Shapovalov, and everybody remembers the first occasion because I had to give up as I had heart palpitations. It was very tough for me, especially since it was my very first Grand Slam match. Last year, I played a really bad match, so for different reasons it was hard to swallow too.

But I love New York. I have always loved the city, the atmosphere, and I love Flushing Meadows too. Even if I have not had much success up until now, there are no reasons why I could not do great things here in the future.

Black Lives Matter is much bigger than our sport, bigger than sport. It is something that has become iconic in the entire society. To share a message of peace, equality and fraternity is the least we can do. It is important, and those kinds of slogans can help. It is a good thing. I know that the USTA have planned some things for the players who would like to express themselves during the tournament or to encourage the Black Lives Matter movement.

Of course, I feel close to these kinds of problems. I know people, friends, who have had to live through difficult situations. Not necessarily violent or very aggressive ones, but still moments that should not take place nowadays. But I think Black Lives Matter has helped people to be more careful and attentive so if our sport can help in any way, that would be good.

Can my voice be heard? I don't know. Sure, someone like LeBron James commits himself, but people also listen to him because he has had a great career and a lot of success, so his voice has a great impact. I’m not there yet. That's how it works. For example, if I talk, it will have a greater impact than if my sister talks, because I have greater visibility. But more than words, I believe in actions and the way you behave. Everyday. With everybody. You have to give people some respect, whoever they are and whatever they look like, no matter what their colour is. I really think you can be a role model with the way you behave in everyday life.