No nasty surprises this time, Félix.

The Canadian hasn't had a great start to the clay-court season and needs to build up confidence before Roland Garros.

Defeat in the first round in Rome against Navone in a super long match that still only lasted two sets. Auger-Aliassime was completely physically exhausted, starting to cramp. In the end, it’s a fairly logical defeat in the sense that he never really managed to create the kind of separation he likes, up against an excellent defender and in rather slow conditions that didn’t really suit him.

You can tell that as soon as his serve doesn’t bring him enough points and he can’t hurt his opponent with his forehand, he gets stuck. This week, the conditions in Hamburg are still slow, but the bounce is quite high and the roof can also be closed, which would be a real advantage for him. I don’t find it excessively slow when I watch the matches that were played this Sunday. And Félix is defending a semifinal. I think it’s a good tournament for him and a good chance to see him play well.

We’ll find out quickly, because he’s facing an opponent who is always difficult to handle in the form of Kopriva. The Czech has put together some good performances recently, but he also disappointed a bit in Rome, where he was expected to be a big favorite against Humbert. In the end, he was clearly beaten, simply because the match-up wasn’t good for him. He likes having time and not having to defend constantly. He’s also a player who excels in offensive phases, notably with an excellent down-the-line backhand. When you take away his time, he struggles.

For me, he’s definitely at the level to hang with Auger-Aliassime in a match and offer him a real battle. I’m a bit worried about the match-up because he doesn’t return very well and, as I said, Félix should play better in this kind of conditions.