Learn From Felix Auger-Aliassime, One Of The Best Tennis Players In The World
Felix Auger-Aliassime (FAA) is one tennis player of the younger generation who burst into the tennis scene a few years ago. Before playing on the professional tour, he drew a lot of attention on the Challenger circuits and at the junior level where he made many deep runs in the major junior tournaments including the Junior US Open in 2016, which he won. He garnered 3 Challenger titles before he turned 17 and played his first tour-level match in 2018.
Credit: https://olympic.ca/team-canada/felix-auger-aliassime/
FAA hails from Montreal, Canada and will turn 23 on August 8th this year. He is now ranked No. 10 in the world and has 4 titles under his belt. Despite good results on the challenger and junior circuit, he struggled to win titles on the main tour early in his career. In 2022, he finally found his rhythm and managed to break into the top 10 and won 4 titles by the end of the season.
FAA is very well built and boasts a 6 '4'' frame weighing about 194 lbs. He is a modern baseliner who hits big serves, has decent returns and is solid on both wings. He is also well-balanced and very quick on the court despite his height.
Here, I will give you a breakdown of Felix’s game and what you can learn from him.
Racket
Felix uses the stock form of the Babolat Pure Aero VS (re-introduced as Pure Aero 98 in 2023), similar to Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune. From what we have seen so far it seems like he has weighed the racket up by a little to about 330g after stringing. So anyone interested in trying out the racket can grab it at retail stores.
Specifications:
Head Size: 98 sq. in.
Strung weight: 315g
Length: 27”
Swingweight: 324
String pattern: 16×20
Balance: 315mm (6 pts HL)
Dampener: Yes
The Pure Aero is a racket that boasts control, versatility and great spin potential. Felix has his racket strung with the RPM Blast Rough 16 gauge at 51-55 pounds depending on the weather and surface he is playing on. The thicker soft polyester will provide him more control while not losing too much power.
The 16x20 string pattern gives him the control and accuracy he needs for precise shot-making without losing out on power. This particular string pattern falls in between the 16x19 and the 18x20, and is probably the most well-balanced string pattern of the three types.
Forehand
Felix Auger-Aliassime has very consistent strokes on both wings but the forehand is definitely his weapon on the court. He uses the semi-western grip for his forehand like many others. He has a modern ATP-style forehand with a wrist lag as he swings through his forehand.
Here is a breakdown of his forehand:
Felix waits for the next shot with his left hand loosely holding the throat of the racket.
He does his split step and immediately starts his unit turn moving his racket back as soon as his opponent makes contact with the ball.
As the ball starts to drop, his left hand releases its grip on the racket and guides him in tracking the ball.
He keeps his right arm relaxed, a little bent, with his racket almost 90° upright pointing towards the sky.
As he starts his unit turn, he will step out with his right leg in a semi-open stance.
Then, he will start to bring his racket back with its face towards the ground and start the racket lag phase to maximise the acceleration on his swing.
As he completes his unit turn, his wrist will be arched for the racket lag and then he will accelerate through his forehand with his swing.
As he pushes through his forehand with a slightly bent arm, he will flip his wrist and follow through to impart topspin to his shots.
He makes sure to fully uncoil his body as he launches at the ball, to make sure he has got maximum momentum and power through that shot.
His follow-through ends at around shoulder height. He always makes sure to catch his racket with his left hand as it goes over his shoulders.
Overall, Felix has a simple and short forehand motion, making it easy for him to shorten his forehand motion if necessary. He also generates power effortlessly and effectively by having a very fluid kinetic chain from his legs up to his arms. By drawing energy from legs he is able to hit big on his strokes, especially on his forehand wing.
Backhand
Felix Auger-Aliassime uses the eastern grip on his top hand and the continental grip on his bottom hand when hitting his backhand.
Here is a breakdown of his backhand:
As soon as he sees his opponent making contact with the ball, he does the split step and switches his grip.
He tracks, turns and moves towards the ball as he gets ready to drop and pull the racket back.
He steps in with his right leg and pulls his racket back to about 7 o'clock with his racket tip pointing 45° up.
At the backswing, he will have his right arm fully extended and his left arm slightly bent.
Once his turn is completed he starts to drop his racket close to his body while pivoting on his front leg to generate power from the ground up.
He then accelerates the racket forward with his left arm to create the racket flip motion. Generally, he uses quite a bit of his wrist on his backhand.
He finishes off his backhand with a follow-through to his right shoulder and has his body fully uncoiled facing the net.
Felix’s backhand is the weaker side but not detrimental to his game. His backhand has seen some improvements over the years including the lengthening of his backswing. However, his backhand is still a work in progress.
Serve
Felix Auger-Alissime has a pretty impressive service record, winning 84% of his service games and 76% of his first-serve points. He boasts a 193 cm (6’4”) frame that provides him with the power to hit big serves.
Here is a breakdown of his service motion:
Starting at the baseline, he will position his left foot about 45° towards the baseline with his right foot almost parallel to it.
He then tosses the ball up with his tossing arm slightly bent.
While he tosses, he will start to lift his right arm and get into the trophy position. He has a short take back of his right arm and has his strings facing slightly downwards at the trophy position.
He also coils both his hips and shoulders, relaxing his legs, putting the knees and feet together, and starts to push down on the ground like a spring.
When his legs are fully loaded up, he will start to uncoil his hips to launch at the ball. He pushes off the ground with his feet while his knees extend and propel him towards the ball in the air.
As his body propels up, he starts to swing, straightening his body and legs.
His arm will extend while pronating his wrist as his racket approaches the ball. His arm will be fully extended as the racket makes contact with the ball.
He follows through the serve across his body, lands in the court with his left leg while facing the net and has his right leg out to keep balance. His left hand will also be fully extended as he follows through.
Felix thoroughly makes use of his well-built frame and flexibility to coil and unleash all that power into his serves and has figured out how to mix them up effectively to his advantage.
Overall Play Style
Felix Auger-Aliassime is a well-balanced player physically and technically. He is a modern baseliner who has solid groundstrokes and impressive serves. He is also deceiving fast on the court despite his large frame.
His forehand is a major weapon on the court. Over the years he has learnt to be more aggressive with his forehand and will take any opportunity to attack the opponent with it. He is also one of the best servers of his generation, with his serve being one of the most important aspects of his game, as he is able to take full advantage of his physicality and flexibility to serve big on important points in a match.
He has an incredible mental fortitude for a player of his age. His ability to not break and stay calm under pressure is evident in his matches. However, he is not a complete player just yet - there is still room for improvement on his backhand and his game at the net. He is also lacking a bit of consistency. After his great run at the end of the 2022 season, he has not been able to play at that level consistently. His 2023 season has been okay so far with a 12-8 W-L record.
He is a player to look out for and I believe that he is probably only going to become better as he spends more time on tour.