March 9, 2025

Open Court

MORE TENNIS THAN YOU'LL EVER NEED

Top Canadian Félix Auger-Aliassime is the newest member of the IMG family.

The 24-year-old joins newly-signed Matteo Berrettini in being represented by the agency behemoth.

Auger-Aliassime one of the two players we cryptically mentioned as being next to be announced by IMG, in our piece about the Berrettini signing last week.

We’re told that the IMG agent who will take care of Auger-Aliassime’s affairs will be Olivier van Lindonk, who is best known as the agent of Auger-Aliassime’s Monte Carlo neighbour Daniil Medvedev.

Van Lindonk, known as one of the good guys in the business, also reps Kei Nishikori.

FAA split with longtime agent last summer

Auger-Aliassime had been represented his entire career – some eight years – by fellow Québécois Bernard Duchesneau.

That abruptly came to an end last summer, with little outward insight as to what happened to cause the split. But if we know anything about FAA, it’s that he’s not a big fan of change. So whatever it was, he must have felt it was a dealbreaker.

Duchesneau manages a couple of rising young players – two more very tall ones – in Quebecer Gabriel Diallo and rising French star Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.

The Canadian was courted by all the usual suspects; if his career isn’t necessarily on the ascendancy at the moment, he’s still young, very successful, very well-liked and extremely professional. And there remains a lot of upside.

The question will be whether IMG can fulfill whatever it pledged to do for him.

Generally speaking, it’s always a crapshoot when a new agent comes along. Because the only way they can make money from representing a player is with changes in sponsorship. Auger-Aliassime is sponsored by Babolat for racquets and adidas for clothing (he made the move there from Nike at the start of the 2021 season).

But in most cases, as long as a player and sponsor maintain their relationship, even through contract renewals, the commissions go to the original agent who brokered the deal.

There are other categories in which IMG could make some hay, though.

Maybe some joint high-fashion shoots with Berrettini?

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