By dint of hearing his name for a few years, one could believe, if one does not diligently follow tennis, that Félix Auger-Aliassime is an old veteran of the circuit.

Except that the young Canadian is still, at 21, one of the most promising players of his generation and a great hope for world tennis, as he prepares for his third Wimbledon tournament.

In London, Félix Auger-Aliassime, who at his age has already given meaning to his career by committing to the education and protection of children in Togo, his father's country of origin, the opportunity to permanently take off the label of hope from his back.

With his imposing physique (1.93 m, 88 kg), his enormous serve, his technical elegance and his precocious talent, Félix Auger-Aliassime has all the assets to settle comfortably and durably among the ten best players in the world.

A future all mapped out for "FAA", who is slowly gaining momentum since qualifying for the final of Roland-Garros juniors at 15, in 2016, his victory at the US Open juniors the same year, and his first final of a ATP tournament, in Rio, disputed (and lost...) at the age of 18.

At 19, this absolute fan of Roger Federer, born on August 8 like him, became the first player born in 2000 to enter the top 100. Two years later, he joined the top 10.

End of a funny curse

Ranked ninth in the world and trained by Frédéric Fontang and Toni Nadal, Rafael Nadal's uncle, Félix Auger-Aliassime is now feared by the top names on the circuit.

On grass, where he is very comfortable (final in Stuttgart in 2021, semi-final in 2021 and quarter-final in 2022 in Halle), the Quebecer will be expected at Wimbledon.

Last season, he reached the quarters in 2021 (eliminated by Matteo Berrettini), after beating Alexander Zverev in the previous round, in five sets.

Especially since the right-hander with bluffing maturity took a new mental step this winter and put an end to a strange curse by winning his first title after eight failures in the final between 2019 and 2021. It was in Rotterdam , at the beginning of February, against the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, one of the tenors of the circuit.

"It's a great relief, a weight less on my shoulders, he confided after this victory (…). It's crazy. I've had many sleepless nights thinking about this first title, wondering why I couldn't make it in the final."

A relief that gave him wings to the point of approaching the feat, at the end of May, against his majesty Rafael Nadal in the round of 16 at Roland-Garros.

The Montrealer, who had never won a match in Paris in two appearances, forced the Mallorcan to play a fifth set.

An extremely rare Porte d'Auteuil, since the Canadian is only the third player to achieve this "performance".

If he reaches the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, he could even afford an epic revenge against Rafael Nadal.

The London public is already dreaming of it.

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