Breaking through: Get to know Alex Michelsen, one of the rising stars of men’s tennis
An in-depth look at some of the hottest young players on the ATP Tour who showed up at the Australian Open. No 1: Alex Michelsen
Alex Michelsen plays a backhand.
(Image Credit: Zuma / Panoramic)
Only 20 years of age, and already at a career-high ranking of No 32 in the world, Californian native Alex Michelsen is rapidly making waves on the ATP Tour.
Over the last six months, tennis fans have been given a glimpse of what the men’s game might look like in another 10 to 15 years, as a crop of future stars have surfaced to pique the imagination of fans everywhere. Yes, we know Jannik Sinner is just 23, and Carlos Alcaraz is still 21, but what about the fresh-faced youngsters who are already starting to surface as potential rivals to them?
Over the next few weeks, Tennis Majors will be shining a light on the new wave of young talent that started to show signs of a rise to prominence at this year’s Australian Open.
Today we will look at Michelsen, a 20-year-old American who reached the second week at this year’s Australian Open.
Who is Alex Michelsen?
Born and bred in Southern California, Michelson is an aggressive, imposing player who has quickly made a name for himself on the ATP Tour.
His tennis idol is one of a kind Gael Monfils, but Michelsen is much more of a meat and potatoes type player.
He wasn’t the most eye-catching junior, and he only peaked at 25 in the rankings, with his best performance coming at the U.S. Open, where he reached the round of 16 and 2022. He did have success in doubles, however, and cites his Wimbledon junior doubles title in 2022 as one of his formative moments.
Since then, the 6ft 5in American has been steadily improving over the last few years as a pro, and it shows in his ranking.
Michelsen was committed to the University of Georgia, but elected to forgo the opportunity to play college and instead went pro at the last minute. “I’ve never been a big school guy,” Michelson would later say.
It turned out to be the right decision. The American has proven to be a fast learner on the ATP Tour. He started 2023 with the ranking of 600 and finished that season inside the top 100. He started 2024 at number 97 in the world and finished at number 41.
What Defines Michelsen’s Game?
Michelsen has a bulletproof backhand that he can play down the line with ease to keep his opponents off balance. He’s also a bit unpredictable and finds his way to the net with relative ease. Over the last 52 weeks he has really put hard work into his serve and his forehand and improved both strokes markedly.
At 6ft 5in, the California native knows he needs to take advantage of his size both as an attacker and with his reach as a defender. Under the guidance of his coaching team, which includes former grand slam, semi finalist, Robbie Ginepri and Jay Leavitt, seems to have a clear vision of where his name game needs to go.
What are Michelsen’s best achievements to date?
Michelsen broke into the top 100 as a teenager in 2023, the same year he earned his first ATP win and reached his first ATP quarter-final, semi-final and final at Newport, where he became the youngest American finalist on the ATP Tour since 2016.
At the 2024 Australian Open, he became the youngest American man in the third round of a major since 2007 when he reached the third round.
This season, Michelsen started strong, reaching the round of 16 at the Australian open in just his sixth main draw appearance at a grand slam.
What are others saying about Michelsen?
Fellow American Ben Shelton is a good friend and frequent partner of Michelsen. He says he can’t help but notice the improvement in his compatriot.
“You look at Mensik and (Joao) Fonseca and Learner (Tien), I just love the way he plays. I love watching him,” the American said. “I think that his improvements on the forehand side have been insane. His movement, a lot of improvement. His serve. Obviously the backhand is cash, and he loves to come to the net.
“He is just one of my guys that I love to watch and love being around. We’re going to play doubles at Indian Wells and Miami. So looking forward to that.”
Another American, Tommy Paul, says the intangibles help Michelsen as much as his ground game.
“He’s a crazy good competitor,” Tommy Paul said in Australia.
How far can he go?
The intangibles make it easy to imagine Michelsen cracking the top 10 at some point in his career. By intangibles we mean his work ethic, his professionalism, his desire to improve and his willingness to work to do it. At the age of 20 he already sits at 36 in the world (as of February 3) and he has demonstrated vast improvement in his so-called weaknesses (forehand, movement) in the last year.
Since dropping his first four matches against top-20 players, Michelsen has won six of his last 12, and that’s another sign that he is already finding ways to defeat the ATP’s top player. With more seasoning, and continued improvement to his power game and movement, he could rise to the top of the sport.
Michelsen will also benefit from the competition he sees regularly from his compatriots. The five Americans currently ahead of him in the rankings provide a good blueprint for success.
Watch him at Indian Wells
Michelsen will next compete in the first leg of the prestigious ‘Sunshine Double’ at Indian Wells this week. Ranked 32 in the world, the American just made the cut-off for a first-round bye into the round of 64, where he will meet either fellow American Colton Smith or Italian Flavio Cobolli.
