Happy Birthdays: As Auger-Aliassime turns 19, his idol Federer now 38

Roger Federer, who will play his first tournament since Wimbledon next week at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, celebrates a very special day today: it's his 38th birthday.

Age is most definitely but a number for Federer. Not only has he won his 18th, 19th and 20th career Grand Slam titles over the last few years, but he returned to No. 1 last year, becoming the oldest player to reach the top spot, male or female, since official computer rankings began in the 1970s.

Federer is having a fantastic 2019 as well, winning three titles—including his 28th ATP Masters 1000 title in Miami—and putting together a 38-5 record. Federer's 38 wins (there's that number again) are tied for most on the tour with his longtime rival Rafael Nadal, who is 38-6.

Currently ranked No. 3, Federer has a decent shot of returning to No. 2—he can do it without hitting a ball if current No. 2 Nadal doesn’t reach the final in Canada this week.

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Even the Swiss tennis legend feels the effects of age in some respects, however. Federer was asked about his sustained fitness during his run to the Wimbledon final.

“I have to warm up much more than I used to, which is not the most fun bit, to be honest,” he said.

“I liked jumping up and down for a minute when I was 21 or 19. Now we go through this entire routine. I’m like, ‘Really, do we really have to do it?’ I guess it helps, though, so I’m doing it. When I get bored of it, I’ll stop playing tennis completely. Or I’ll stop that routine first before I stop playing!”

Proper scheduling is a consideration, too.

“Fitness-wise, I would say I take things a little differently than I did before," Federer said about the events he plays. "I would say it’s more the quality than the quantity, too, because I have to rest the body when I can.”

In just a matter of days, Federer will make his summer hard-court debut in Cincinnati, his first tournament since falling to world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in an epic Wimbledon final, 7-6 (5), 1-6, 7-6 (4), 4-6, 13-12 (3). Federer held double match point while serving for the match at 8-7, 40-15 in the fifth set. He is a seven-time champion at the Cincinnati Masters, winning in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2015, and he reached the final one more time last year, finishing runner-up to first-time champion Djokovic.

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But Thursday isn’t just the birthday of one of the game's all-time greats—it’s also the birthday of one of its most promising up-and-comers. Felix Auger-Aliassime, the first man born in the 2000s to break the Top 100 and the current ATP No. 21, turns 19 the same day that his idol, turns 38.

For just one day, Federer will be exactly twice the age of Auger-Aliassime. In his young career, the Canadian has already reached three ATP finals and climbed as high as No. 21 in the rankings; by contrast, Federer had only reached one ATP final and No. 35 by his 19th birthday.

Auger-Aliassime has defeated two countrymen, Vasek Pospisil and Milos Raonic (who retired after splitting sets) en route to the third round in Montreal. He will look to make his final teenage birthday extra special when he battles sixth seed Karen Khachanov for a spot in the quarterfinals.

Fun Fact: The last day Federer was ranked exactly No. 38 was on August 6, 2000—two days before his 19th birthday (and two days before Auger-Aliassime was born).