A real big trap.

Getting the Argentine Navone in the first round of a tournament on fairly slow clay is risky for a bunch of players, including Auger-Aliassime, isn’t it?

There was a time when this kind of match was automatically a danger for Auger-Aliassime, but the Canadian has proven for several months now that he’s managed to maintain a fairly steady level and limit the number of bad matches he plays. So far, his clay-court season has been decent. He’s only lost to Sinner in Monte Carlo and last week in Madrid, he went out against Blocx. We all thought it was a disappointment, but given the Belgian’s level and what he went on to do afterwards in that tournament, it reassures me that it wasn’t a catastrophic defeat for Auger-Aliassime. Obviously, in terms of level of play, I didn’t find him dazzling, but I also have to say that was down to Blocx, who served extremely well, defended very solidly, and managed to come forward to the net in attacking phases. That combination caused big problems for Auger-Aliassime, but this time he’s facing a completely different kind of match.

Navone is a real challenge to face on clay because he really doesn’t make any unforced errors and can make erratic players lose their cool, but the Argentine offers far less than Blocx in terms of overall game. His serve is light-years away from the Belgian’s, he doesn’t have his net game, and he simply shouldn’t reach the same level. I’m not saying this match will be easy for Auger-Aliassime, but he’s up against an opponent who should cause him a bit fewer problems. Historically, Auger-Aliassime has already had some good runs in Rome—nothing exceptional—but he has beaten good players and strong clay-courters there, and even if Navone is a pain to face, Auger-Aliassime still remains the clear favorite in this match-up.

Navone has already beaten Auger-Aliassime in their only meeting in Munich last year, but the Canadian hadn’t yet rediscovered his best tennis and, above all, he lacked ruthlessness, notably failing to convert 19 break points, which actually reassures me a bit about this match-up.