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As is the nature of the sport, most tennis players end up celebrating their birthdays on the road, in between tournaments, at hotels or far from home. For Montréal native Auger-Aliassime, ranked world No. 9, it’s usually no different.

But once every two years, the Canadian gets the ultimate birthday gift. The National Bank Open’s men’s and women’s tournaments swap locations between Montréal and Toronto each year—meaning this time around, Auger-Aliassime gets to kick off his 22nd trip around the sun surrounded by friends and family.

Auger-Aliassime is at a career-high world No. 9 ranking entering his Montreal, where he's seeking his second ATP title of the year.

“This is the position I want to be in,” he told press before the tournament. “You get to the place I am today gradually. You have to put in the work. I’ve been in this position where there were expectations, going back to when I was 14, 15 and through junior, so this is nothing new to me…

“I’m a different player—a different young man, too. I feel much calmer and ready as this tournament approaches. I hope my results will show.”

This year, his results have already shown that the best is yet to come.

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Having come up heartbreakingly short in big matches for years—between 2019 and 2022, Auger-Aliassime reached eight ATP Tour finals, losing all of them—the Canadian finally broke through to finally join the winners’ circle in Rotterdam.

Among the first to congratulate him was childhood hero Roger Federer, with whom Auger-Aliassime shares a birthday (19 years apart).

“It’s true!” Auger-Aliassime said on Instagram Live. “Roger [Federer] sent me a little message. He just told me in English ‘I’m happy for you, well done.'”

Due to the pandemic, No. 6 seed Auger-Aliassime will be making his first appearance in Montréal since 2019. While he enjoys his day off thanks to a first-round bye, the 22-year-old awaits the winner between qualifiers Benoit Paire and Yoshihito Nishioka on Wednesday.

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