Felix Auger-Aliassime has experienced the ATP Tour both with and without Carlos Alcaraz being on it.
Auger-Aliassime made his ATP Tour debut in 2018, and achieved his Grand Slam breakthrough at Wimbledon in 2021.
This is when the Canadian reached the quarter-finals, before Alcaraz had even won his first ATP title.
After Auger-Aliassime reached the fourth round of Wimbledon this year, he has explained the impact that Alcaraz has had on men’s tennis.
Felix Auger-Aliassime suggests Carlos Alcaraz has made the ATP Tour more difficult
Auger-Aliassime comfortably beat qualifier Michael Zheng 7-6(1), 6-2, 6-1 to reach the fourth round of Wimbledon for the first time since his quarter-final run in 2021.
In his post-match press conference after his latest win, Auger-Aliassime was asked about how players now hit the ball harder in men’s tennis now.
This is something that Auger-Aliassime attributed to Alcaraz, claiming that there are now no longer any safe spaces on the court, which he felt like there were before.
“Yeah, yeah, every year. I think there was a big, big change, I feel, when Carlos arrived onto the scene in 2021, 2022,” said Auger-Aliassime. “Being so young and hitting so strong from both sides, I feel like even the players that were top players when I arrived, you could kind of be safe in some places on the court.
“Now the current generation, the current players that we have dominating, there’s just no space that is safe on the court. That’s why they’re the best players in the world.
“It’s the responsibility of myself and each player behind them to find their own way to match that. But yeah, you need to hit big on both sides now.”
Give us your one crazy prediction for the second week of Wimbledon!
What is Felix Auger-Aliassime’s Head-to-Head vs Carlos Alcaraz?
The difficulties of playing against Alcaraz, who is not at Wimbledon this year, are displayed for Auger-Aliassime in his head-to-head against the seven-time Grand Slam champion.
Auger-Aliassime actually won his first three matches against Alcaraz, but their head-to-head has taken a turn for the worse for the Canadian.
Alcaraz has won his last five matches against Auger-Aliassime, with all of those being straight set victories for the Spaniard, including at the ATP Finals last year.
| Year | Tournament | Result |
| 2021 | US Open (QF) | Auger-Aliassime beat Alcaraz, 6-3 3-1 (Alcaraz retired) |
| 2022 | Davis Cup Finals (RR) | Auger-Aliassime beat Alcaraz, 6(3)-7 6-4 6-2 |
| 2022 | Swiss Indoors (SF) | Auger-Aliassime beat Alcaraz, 6-3 6-2 |
| 2023 | Indian Wells (QF) | Alcaraz beat Auger-Aliassime, 6-4 6-4 |
| 2024 | Indian Wells (R32) | Alcaraz beat Auger-Aliassime, 6-2 6-3 |
| 2024 | Roland Garros (R16) | Alcaraz beat Auger-Aliassime, 6-3 6-3 6-1 |
| 2024 | Paris Olympics (SF) | Alcaraz beat Auger-Aliassime, 6-1 6-1 |
| 2025 | ATP Finals (SF) | Alcaraz beat Auger-Aliassime, 6-2 6-4 |
With Alcaraz not at Wimbledon this year, Auger-Aliassime has an opportunity to take advantage of the world number two’s absence.
Auger-Aliassime is the third seed at Wimbledon and will play against 22nd seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the fourth round.
