The 21 & Under Club in '21: Félix Auger-Aliassime

Will turn 22 on

• 8/8/2022

What he’s done since last summer

• Runner-up at three ATP finals (Cologne, Melbourne, Stuttgart)
• Won a Masters 1000 doubles title (Paris-Bercy)
• Reached two Grand Slam fourth rounds (2020 US Open, 2021 Australian Open)
• Upset Roger Federer in Halle

Key Stat

• Auger-Aliassime hit 130 aces in his first 16 matches of 2021.

The 20-year-old has spent the last three years on the precipice of a major breakthrough. Two Grand Slam fourth-round appearances and eight ATP tour finals have earned plenty of attention, and now hopes the big-time coaching hire of Toni Nadal will aid him in that final push into the top echelons of the sport.

“It's one thing to feel I'm playing good, but the other thing is to have results, improve my ranking, be part of the Masters at the end of the year,” he said at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. “This is the breakthrough I want to make. We'll see if I'm able to do it.”

Auger-Alisassime is arguably the most versatile young talent in the men’s game, proving capable on all surfaces and even winning a Masters 1000 title in doubles last fall. He has a bourgeoning rivalry with Stefanos Tsitsipas, whom he has beaten twice in five meetings.

“I want to keep going, making progress. I'm Top 20. I’m at a good level. Sometimes I feel like I'm playing well. Sometimes I don't play that well. But I want to keep improving. I want results.”

Though a signature result—most notably a maiden singles title—remains elusive, experience, opportunities, and advice from one of the era’s most successful coaches ought to set him in good stead for a cool summer.

“When I saw him play for the first time, we said to Rafael ‘this kid is going to be very good,’” says the man known best as Uncle Toni. “He was 16, but you could already see that he would be one of the best in the world. Now he has to work to confirm it and to become that.”

His nephew’s unquenchable competitive spirit has taken him to nearly 20 Grand Slam titles, and the Canadian will no doubt aim to absorb the grittier tendencies that may have made the difference in several of his near-misses.

“My game is improving in the right direction,” he insisted after losing a pair of tie-breaks to John Isner in Miami. “I also think my mentality, as well. I lost close matches this year so far. Honestly, I need to keep going and find a way that it's going to fall on my side. Sometimes it's close matches like today where in the past that it's fallen on my side before. Now recently it hasn't, but you just keep going.”

Moving onto grass, Auger-Alisassime has already erased memories of a less-than-stellar clay swing with another runner-up finish and a milestone win over Roger Federer. Might Wimbledon be where he makes his moment?