Auger-Aliassime’s Ruthless Surge Is a ‘Message’ to the Old Guard—But the Praise He Craves Most Comes with a Scandalous Price Due To…
Tennis legend Jim Courier believes Felix Auger-Aliassime has sent a strong “message” to his ATP Tour rivals after an impressive start to his 2026 season.
Canadian ace Auger-Aliassime enters 2026 off the back of a landmark 2025 campaign, which saw the 25-year-old win three ATP Tour titles and reach the semi-final of both the US Open and ATP Finals, ending the year at a career-high ranking of world No 5.
Back inside the top 10 of the ATP Rankings for the first time since 2023, Auger-Aliassime is among the highest-ranked players in United Cup action this week and helped his nation get off to a winning start on Sunday.
His 6-4, 6-4 win over Zhang Zhizhen helped seal victory for Canada over China in Sydney, after compatriot Victoria Mboko had defeated Zhu Lin 2-6, 6-2, 6-0 in the opening women’s singles rubber.
Auger-Aliassime and Mboko then teamed up to seal a 3-0 whitewash for Canada, the pair beating You Xiaodi and Te Rigele 6-1, 6-3 in the mixed doubles rubber.
It was undoubtedly a strong start to the season for the world No 5, continuing his momentum from the second half of last season.
Auger-Aliassime was still ranked outside the top 20 heading into the US Open last August, surging from 27th in the world rankings to fifth in the space of three months.
And, speaking on Channel 9 commentary after the Canadian’s win over Zhizhen, four-time Grand Slam champion Courier claimed that Auger-Aliassime’s performance was an accurate reflection of his current standing.
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“He’s sending a message out there that the number five by his name is no fluke,” said Courier. “[He] played just like it tonight.
“Loved the aggression on the backhand, in particular, in that little purple patch early in the second set.”
Courier, who spent 58 weeks as the world No 1 during his career, highlighted Auger-Aliassime’s approach game as a key strength in Sunday’s performance.
He added: “Felix was relentless with the pressure, ripping forehands and getting to the net 23 times.
“It wasn’t a physical match as far as the length of the match, but boy, it was ballistic. These guys were ripping the cover off the ball on both sides of the net.”
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Auger-Aliassime and the rest of Team Canada will return to United Cup action on Tuesday [January 6], with the nation facing Belgium.
Having whitewashed China on Sunday, Canada is in a commanding position to qualify from Group B, and victory over Belgium will guarantee they finish top and seal a quarter-final place.
Auger-Aliassime will look to keep his momentum going with an intriguing test against world No 42 Zizou Bergs, while the women’s singles rubber pits Mboko against Elise Mertens.
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