Felix Auger-Aliassime once had the privilege of playing Rafael Nadal at the French Open, one of the most difficult tasks in tennis history.
Nadal retired from tennis in 2024 with 22 Grand Slams to his name, 14 of which arrived on the clay courts of the French Open.
The stunning tally remains the most of any player across both men’s and women’s tennis, and is one that is very unlikely to be surpassed.
Very fittingly, Nadal claimed his 22nd and final Grand Slam title at the French Open in 2022, defeating Casper Ruud in the final.
The Spaniard also knocked Auger-Aliassime out of Roland Garros that year, with the Canadian star now looking back on their fourth round epic.
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Felix Auger-Aliassime recalls nerves before French Open clash vs Rafael Nadal
Looking at a photograph of the match for UTS Tour on Instagram, Auger-Aliassime recalled: “So this image here is myself and the legend Rafael Nadal playing the fourth round of Roland Garros in 2022.
“I remember obviously having nerves as I entered the court and hearing his name repeated probably 13 times, you know, at the warm up, and how many times he’s won there.
“It just showed the champion he was. It was kind of an opportunity of a lifetime as a young man to have a chance to play this legend, where he won the tournament 14 times.
“I had a great start to the match, and then we got into a battle, and in the end, we went to a fifth set.
“I think that I have everything to also compete on the clay and have good results. I think it helps with the self-belief to know that you did this in the past, and that I’ve also improved as a player, and that I’m a better player now than I was before.
“And I hope that this year is going to be the year where everything comes together and I’m able to put up a great level on the clay.”
Auger-Aliassime can indeed take confidence from that meeting with Nadal, in which he pushed the legend all the way.
The ATP duo battled it out for a huge four hours and 21 minutes before the Spanish icon triumphed 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.
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Felix Auger-Aliassime’s head-to-head record with Rafael Nadal
The five-set thriller represented one of three meetings between the pair before Nadal called time on his legendary career.
He also won their first meeting in Madrid in 2019, before the Canadian pulled a win back at the 2022 ATP Finals.
| Year | Winner | Tournament | Round | Surface | Score |
| 2022 | Felix Auger-Aliassime | Nitto ATP Finals | Round Robin | Indoor Hard | 63 64 |
| 2022 | Rafael Nadal | Roland Garros | Round of 16 | Outdoor Clay | 36 63 62 36 63 |
| 2019 | Rafael Nadal | ATP Masters 1000 Madrid | Round of 32 | Outdoor Clay | 63 63 |
That represented revenge for their French Open clash, shortly after which Nadal went on to lift the trophy.
He is enjoying life in retirement, while Auger-Aliassime now turns his focus away from the ATP Tour, with the nine-time champion set to line out at Bastide UTS Nimes in early April.
Replacing Taylor Fritz as world number seven after the Miami Open, the Canadian has a 15-6 record for the 2026 ATP season, with one title arriving in Montpellier.
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