Felix Auger-Aliassime becomes first and possibly only player born in 2000s to beat Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal
Following his recent victory over Rafael Nadal in the ATP Finals, Felix Auger-Aliassime became the first and possibly only player born in the 2000s to have registered wins over each member of the Big 3.
The Canadian defeated Nadal 6-3, 6-4 in his second round-robin match in Turin. While the 22-year-old became the first player to achieve this feat, he could also be the only player to hold that record — unless Roger Federer makes a comeback.
Auger-Aliassime, in the second round of the 2021 Halle tournament, had defeated Federer 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. Then, in this year's Laver Cup, he got the better of Novak Djokovic, defeating him 6-3, 7-6(3).
His victory over the No. 2 ranked Nadal was also his fifth career win over a Top 5 player, with all of those coming this year — he defeated No. 3 ranked Alexander Zverev in the ATP Cup, No. 4 ranked Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Rotterdam final and No. 1 ranked Carlos Alcaraz twice, in the Davis Cup and the Basel semifinals.
Alcaraz, a 2003-born player, missed this feat as he never had the chance to play Federer. He has victories against both Nadal and Djokovic, defeating them both on consecutive days earlier this year in Madrid.
"He didn't give me a secret that nobody knows" - Felix Auger-Aliassime on whether his coach Toni Nadal gave him special tips to earn his first win over Rafael Nadal
At his post-match press conference, Felix Auger-Aliassime was questioned about whether he had gotten any specific coaching from Toni Nadal on how to defeat his nephew, to which he responded by saying that even though they had discussed the match, he did not get any exclusive information or "a secret that nobody knows."
"We talk about the things I need to do for myself, at the end of the day he doesn't give me [tips]- him or Fred [Frederic Fontang]. I know Rafa. I've seen him play. I've watched him play. I've played him before. If I play him or play Djokovic or even players that I've known for a long time, Fred, my coach, gives me the stats of previous matches, what has been working, what hasn't been working, so I can have a little bit of a clear idea," Felix Auger-Aliassime said.
"Outside of that he [Toni Nadal] didn't give me a secret that nobody knows (smiling). That's it, so, nothing really special. More just for me to try to give my best effort, to feel like I did everything I could when I step out of the court, win or lose. That's the most important for him and for us on the team," Auger-Aliassime added.