Félix Auger-Aliassime's Journey to the Top of Men's Tennis At 25, Félix Auger-Aliassime is still on his way up. Just a couple years shy of the typical late-20s athletic peak for men, the Canadian is far from old. He’s not young anymore though, especially in tennis terms. He’s played through his teenage years as a possible next big thing, gotten within shouting distance of the top of the tennis mountain, tumbled back down, and then climbed back up, all the way to a top-four seeding at this year’s French Open and a place in the world’s top five. His first match at the tournament, Tuesday evening against Daniel Altmaier of Germany, was a five-set saga. Auger-Aliassime clinched it in a match-deciding tiebreak, winning 4-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(7) after four hours, 16 minutes that captured the essence of a player desperate to become a mainstay at the top of the sport. Auger-Aliassime came back from a set down twice, and from down a break of serve in the final set. His mind had every opportunity to wander toward calling it a night and looking toward the grass, a surface far more hospitable to his power game. Instead, he hung tough. “I think it’s the first time that I’ve asked myself what player do I feel like?” Auger-Aliassime said of his career-high No. 5 world ranking in a news conference before the tournament. “I am who I am. I believe I am a good tennis player. Obviously Carlos is not here, so that’s why I’m fourth seed and not fifth. I’m currently fifth in the world, and I’ve worked for my spot there.” It’s a nice neighborhood. Three of the four people ahead of him are all-time greats: Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Novak Djokovic. The fourth, Alexander Zverev, is arguably the best active men’s player to have never won a Grand Slam, a three-time major finalist. It’s a pretty lofty spot.#novak_djokovic #jannik_sinner #alexander_zverev #carlos_alcaraz #felix_augeraliaissime
