The continued growth of Canada’s highly rated Félix Auger-Aliassime continues. With the 22-year-old now under the tutelage of Toni Nadal, could an assault on the 2023 French Open be on the cards? Toni Nadal coached his nephew Rafael Nadal to ten French Open titles, amongst others. So the Spaniard is the man in the know for playing on clay. Auger-Aliassime is a well-known fan of the clay surface, so the move to hire Toni Nadal has obvious connotations.
Welcome aboard Toni ?? pic.twitter.com/BGH0HIapUr
— Félix AugerAliassime (@felixtennis) April 8, 2021
The 2022 French Open didn’t go according to plan, as Auger-Aliassime was defeated in the 4th Round. But with the partnership in its infancy back then, 2023 should be a different story. Not only will Nadal and Auger-Aliassime be a year further down the path of their developing partnership, but Nadal’s ‘King of Clay’ nephew, Rafael, will be another 12 months older, and the Spanish great can’t go on forever.
2023 French Open Wagering
With 2022 drawing to a close, the 2023 French Open might seem like an eternity away, but the facts are that it starts in just over six months on the 28th of May.
With that in mind, preparations will already be underway. Currently, in the latest tennis wagering odds, Auger-Aliassime is 39/1 to win the French Open at Bet99 who will have plenty of tennis wagering markets on all the major tennis competitions in the 2023 season. The current favourite is Carlos Alcaraz, who is priced at odds of 33/20. The young Spaniard is closely followed by Novak Djokovic at 17/10, and Rafael Nadal at 12/5 as of the 14th of November.
Could it be that finally there is a new guard coming through?
Carlos Alcaraz won the 2022 US Open and is now the world number one. So, does he, and the new generation of players finally spell the end of the era of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic? Federer has now retired, so there are just two left. But who will be there alongside Alcaraz?
CARLOS ALCARAZ IS THE US OPEN CHAMPION pic.twitter.com/hogFduedq0
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 11, 2022
Félix Auger-Aliassime is another youngster well-placed to challenge the new generation of players. Hailing from Montreal in Quebec, Canada, Auger-Aliassime is the second youngest player currently ranked inside the ATP top 10. His career-high ranking of six achieved in November 2022 makes him the second-highest-ever ranked Canadian. Only Milos Raonic, who reached world number three in 2016, has been ranked higher.
As previously alluded to, Auger-Aliassime’s career is on the up. In 2021, he reached the quarter-final of Wimbledon and the semi-final of the US Open. Then in 2022, he reached the quarter-final of the Australian Open, and the 4th Round of the French.
These are his best Grand Slam performances to date, and he will be looking to improve on those next season and take his career to the next level. Particularly in the French Open, where he is yet to fulfil his real potential.
Auger-Aliassime is more than just a clay court specialist
But don’t just get caught up in the theory that he is just a clay court player. Hiring Toni Nadal might appear like he is targeting the clay court events, but Auger-Aliassime already has a better record on hard courts. As we know only too well, Toni Nadal coached his famous nephew to far more than just clay court victories.
