Roger Federer makes Rafael Nadal claim about Miami Open youngster
ROGER FEDERER has compared Felix Auger-Aliassime’s hard-working attitude to that of Rafael Nadal.
Canada’s 18-year-old Auger-Aliassime came through qualifying to reach the third round of the Miami Open this week.
He takes on Hubert Hurkacz this evening for a place in the last-16.
And Federer reckons the youngster has a bright future ahead of him.
"I saw what he has special when I trained in Dubai with him,” Federer told Radio Canada.
“Unfortunately, he injured himself there in training.
“I like his attitude. For someone who is young like him, it's impressive, we've seen it in the past with [Lleyton] Hewitt or [Rafael] Nadal, guys who are already mentally strong.
“I think we can put him a bit in that category.”
Federer has never faced Auger-Aliassime in a competitive match on tour.
But he feels the NextGen star has many valuable weapons in his armoury.
"The way he's able to accelerate the forehand, the backhand and the first ball is something that will be important to him in the future,” Federer added.
“After, his footwork is excellent too. He even manages to slide on the hard.
“This is the new generation, necessarily they may be less afraid than us.
“I wish him the best. I am always happy when he wins. I will follow him in the next 15 years for sure.”
Auger-Aliassime is excited at the prospect of reaching the fourth round of a Masters 100 for the first time.
“It’s going to be a third-round match to go forward in a Masters 1000, so I’m going to be super-excited and super-motivated either way,” he said.
“I don’t think there’s any extra pressure playing Hubert. For me, it’s the same.”