2025 ATP Player of the Year Countdown, No. 5: Félix Auger-Aliassime

2025, by the Numbers

• 50-24: Overall win-loss record
• 7-4: Grand Slam win-loss record (AO 2R, RG 1R, W 2R, USO SF)
• 3: Titles (Adelaide, Montpellier, Brussels)
• 2: Runner-ups (Dubai, Paris Indoors)
• 5: Year-end ranking

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The Story of the Season

Felix Auger-Aliassime ended the 2025 season on a career-high ranking of No. 5, a testament to his hard work, talent and mindset after experiencing a period of ups and downs.

By mid-February, the Canadian added a pair of ATP 250 titles to his collection. But by the end of May, his record across the year’s majors and Masters 1000 events stood at 3-6—and he dipped to No. 30 when his 2024 Madrid finalist points came off.

Two more early exits at Wimbledon and Toronto followed, before Auger-Aliassime put together one of the most impressive stretches of the season to reaffirm his place among the ATP’s elite. After a Cincinnati quarterfinal showing, the Montreal native posted two Top 10 wins en route to his second US Open semifinal. Momentum only grew from there, as the newly-married Auger-Aliassime triumphed in Brussels ahead of a Paris Masters runner-up finish that ultimately secured his ticket to the Nitto ATP Finals.

“Physically I started the year feeling great. Then I lost a couple of matches. Looking back, I think I lost maybe too much confidence,“ he reflected in Paris.

All-in-all, he earned 24 of his 50 wins after turning 25 on August 8. The final pair saw Auger-Aliassime upend Ben Shelton and Alexander Zverev to stand among the final four in Turin. His losses at the season finale were dealt by Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, two unique puzzles that await as a 2026 challenge to solve on the sport’s grandest stages.—Matt Fitzgerald

What's to Come in 2026?

Given his formidable tools—including a massive serve, bazooka forehand, and good movement, for one who stands 6-foot-4—the challenge facing Félix Auger-Aliassime, the 25-year old ATP year-end No. 5, is threefold: build a more versatile game, improve your mastery on outdoor surfaces (he earned seven of his eight titles on indoor hard courts), and develop a greater ability to manage your emotions under duress.

The reason (other than fitness-related issues, including injury) that the 25-year old native of Montréal stalled after climbing as high as No. 8 in 2022 was that his rivals figured him out. His game was short on variation in spin, pace, and tactics. FAA came at you hard, but always from the front. He needs to be more creative and surprising.

FAA’s ability to manage his emotions is improving. As he said following one of his recent wins in Turin: “I was backing myself to stay cool under pressure, to stay disciplined and make the right choices. When it came down to the last few points of every set, I just tried to make the right play at the right time.”

That clarity of purpose did not just drop out of the sky. FAA has worked for months to overcome the fog of emotion and anxiety. “It’s been a lot of work behind the scenes,” he said. “A lot of breathing, meditation, just trying to stay as cool as possible under pressure, and to have clear ideas.” More of that, please.—Pete Bodo