Felix Auger-Aliassime was born on August 8, 2000, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. His father, Sam Aliassime, was a tennis instructor from Togo who emigrated to Canada, while his mother, Marie Auger, is of French-Canadian descent and works as a teacher in Quebec.
Auger-Aliassime was nurtured by his father, who imparted tennis knowledge to his son from the age of four until he was 13, before he enlisted the services of professional coaches. As a junior, Auger-Aliassime won 79 of his 98 matches. He won his first ITF junior singles title in Queretaro, Mexico, in 2015 and his first Grand Slam title in doubles at the US Open that same year alongside compatriot Denis Shapovalov.
Auger-Aliassime won the US Open boys’ singles title in 2016. He peaked at a career-high ranking of No. 2 on the junior circuit. Auger-Aliassime made waves right from the Challenger Tour. In 2015, he became the youngest player to qualify in the main draw of an ATP Challenger tournament at the age of 14.
He would also set the record for the youngest player to win a match at that level when he defeated Andrew Whittington in Granby. He turned professional in 2017 and won his first ATP Challenger title that year in Lyon - a result that saw his stock rise into the Top 200.
His ATP main draw debut came the following season in Rotterdam, where he was granted a wild card. But his first ATP match win would have to wait at least a month before he defeated countryman Vasek Pospisil in Indian Wells in 2018. Auger-Aliassime reached his first ATP final in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, but lost to Laslo Djere.
It took him seven more tries, stumbling in the final hurdle each time, before he was finally successful when he won his maiden ATP title in 2022 at the same tournament he marked his ATP debut – the Rotterdam Open. That title opened the floodgates, and he would bag three more during a golden spell in the autumn of 2022, in Florence, Antwerp, and Basel.
He finished the year ranked inside the world’s Top 6, making him the second-highest-ranked Canadian man in ATP Rankings history. At Grand Slam level, he made his debut at the 2018 US Open as a qualifier, but his first match win came at Wimbledon in 2019.
Auger-Aliassime has made the second week at all four majors, with his semifinal showing at the 2021 US Open his career highlight. Auger-Aliassime was part of Canada’s team that created history at the 2022 Davis Cup Finals, where they won the competition for the first time.
