Felix Auger-Aliassime is now the proud owner of an Olympic medal, having won bronze in the mixed doubles event, and come so close to another in the singles too.
It has been an impressive campaign for the Canadian, who had otherwise been enduring an indifferent 2024.
Many might lambast the youngster for not quite living up to the hype that the early parts of his career promised, but Olympic success, as Andy Murray proved in 2012, can certainly be the catalyst that kickstarts future triumphs.
Auger-Aliassime will definitely want to follow in the now-retired Scotsman’s steps, given how much he clearly meant to him.
Felix Auger-Aliassime thanks Andy Murray after retirement
Having failed to overcome Lorenzo Musetti in the singles bronze medal match, the 23-year-old could take solace from the fact that he had already achieved such a feat with his compatriot Gabriela Dabrowski in the mixed doubles.
And, with the tennis now concluded at the Olympics, and a bronze medal added to his trophy cabinet, he took to X to address the success earned in Paris.
However, opting against celebrating his own achievements, Auger-Aliassime instead sought to laud the retiring Andy Murray.
He wrote the following heartfelt message: ‘Can’t forget to take a moment for one of my favorite players on and off the court for closing the chapter to one of the best stories our sport has seen. I always drew a lot of inspiration seeing your resilience, determination and will to win throughout your career. Thank you for setting a great example for our generation and the ones coming in the future.
‘And thank you for being yourself because you are one of one Andy
‘We will miss you’.
The tennis world owes a lot to Andy Murray
Although it might be easy for his accomplishments to get lost in the sea of success earned by the Big Three, what Murray did for tennis goes far beyond just his accolades.
That being said, it is worth outlining them, because he enjoyed a career many could only dream of, and did so during inarguably the most difficult period to be a men’s tennis player of all time.
Winning three Grand Slams, beating Novak Djokovic in two of those finals, mark just the tip of the iceberg of his success, which saw him amass 46 total ATP titles, 14 of which were Masters 1000 events too.
Not to mention that he remains the only male to successfully defend an Olympic gold medal in the singles draw, won in both 2012 and 2016.
However, what he has done for British tennis and the women’s game in general cannot be quantified it is so great.
He rescued the former from a dull and uninspiring period of mediocrity, whilst rallying against the casual sexism that infiltrated tennis with smart remarks or corrections to those uninformed or ignorant.
Without him, the tennis world would be a far worse place, and the Big Three’s monopoly over the sport would likely have been even greater too.
After all, he remains the man with the most wins taken against the trio, with his 30 triumphs way more than the 17 that Juan Martin del Potro and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga managed, his closest competitors in that regard.
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