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A day after the 2022 ATP Finals gala night, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Andrey Rublev, and all the other participants sat together on the media day and answered some of the fans' questions.
While all the players were pretty serious with their answers, it was the 25-year-old Russian (Rublev) who defused the tension. One of the questions was directed at the past winners — Novak Djokovic, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Daniil Medvedev — asking them to share what it was like to win the year-end championships.
Medvedev took the lead as he stated that no other tournament in the world required top players to play against other top players right away. He added that everyone had to stay on their toes and produce their best level to go all the way.
"For me, it's about beating the best players in the world because there's no other tournament where first match, straight away you're going to play a top-10 player. There is not one more tournament like this and it's tough. My first year, I went three defeats, second year I managed to win it. Yeah, you have to be at your A game from the first match till the last one. That's the toughest part but that's what you have to do to win," Medvedev said.
Just as the former World No. 1 finished speaking, Felix Auger-Aliassime said:
"Taking notes."
This was when Rublev called the Canadian "Oxford," making everyone laugh hysterically.
After the first match between Casper Ruud and Auger-Aliassime on Sunday, the Norwegian explained to the media why Rublev came up with the nickname.
“We were here on the Media Day on Saturday. Andrey give Felix Auger-Aliassime a new nickname, which is 'Oxford' because it seems like he is so well-educated. I think if you go to Oxford College, it seems like you have a good education, and are well-spoken. I think it's a little bit funny name. It suits him well," Ruud said.
“My back is against the wall" - Felix Auger-Aliassime after his loss against Casper Ruud
In the first round-robin match, fourth-ranked Casper Ruud beat Felix Auger-Aliassme 7-6(4), 6-4. The Canadian will next face Rafael Nadal in a must-win clash. The Spaniard also lost his first match against Taylor Fritz on Sunday.
In a press conference, Auger-Aliassime stated that he needed to improve and bounce back quickly. The 22-year-old realized that he couldn't make the mistake of being complacent after just qualifying for the tournament.
“My back is against the wall,” Felix Auger-Aliassime said. “It would have been better to start with a win here. For Casper, I'm sure it's a big weight off his shoulders. For me, I need to bounce back and play a little bit better. I'm not far from playing well, but there are a few things I can do better."
“It's kind of strange. You have this stress and pressure, this energy to qualify for this event the whole year. Especially at the end of the year, with the way I did it. You come here, but there are still matches to play. It's not like, now I'm qualified, I can rest. I was thinking that would be a mistake, to come here and act like I'm happy and this is it," he added.
