"I have a huge amount of respect for him": Felix Auger-Aliassime confirms split with Toni Nadal after three years together

Felix Auger-Aliassime has officially ended his partnership with Toni Nadal. The uncle of 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal joined the Canadian’s team in 2021, marking his first coaching role since parting ways with his nephew in 2017.

In April 2021, Toni Nadal joined Auger-Aliassime’s team just before the clay swing, as the Canadian struggled to maintain his top-20 ranking. The partnership started strong, with Felix reaching the Wimbledon 2021 and Australian Open 2022 quarterfinals, as well as the US Open semifinals — his best Grand Slam results to date.

Auger-Aliassime opens up on split with Nadal

Under Nadal's guidance, Felix entered the top-10 for the first time in late 2021 and achieved his career-high ranking of World No. 6 in 2022. However, his subsequent seasons were less successful. In 2023, Auger-Aliassime dropped to No. 29 and faced challenges regaining form. Despite inconsistent results, his runner-up finish at the Madrid Open stood out in a disappointing year.

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In 2024, the 24-year-old Canadian ended with a 32-25 record, no titles, and underwhelming performances at Grand Slams, with two first-round exits and a fourth-round showing at Roland Garros as his best. He hasn’t reached a major quarterfinal since the 2022 Australian Open, holding an 8-8 record in Slam main draws over the past two years.

Recently, Auger-Aliassime confirmed the split with Nadal during an appearance on The Slice Tennis podcast: “No, it was done organically. I’m not huge on announcing ‘I work for this person’ or ‘I’m done’ because you just don’t know in life,” the former World No. 6 explained.

“We had a great relationship, and at some point this year, we talked. I felt like, for these next tournaments and until further notice, I’ll stay with my coach Fred and have my dad join us. That’s what I wanted to do.”

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“I haven’t looked back since, but we stayed in touch throughout the season. I have a huge amount of respect for him. He helped me with a few things, and I had a great year in 2022 when he was part of it.”

Looking to bounce back from an uneven 2024, Auger-Aliassime began the new season at the United Cup, partnering with Leylah Fernandez, though the team was eliminated in the round-robin stage. His next stops are the Adelaide International (5th seed) starting Monday, followed by the Australian Open, where he is seeded 29th.

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