Alex Michelsen‘s rise has been nothing short of meteoric – from hitting backhands in his family’s garage at the age of three to breaking into the Top 30 within just two years of turning pro (although he has now dropped to 34). Felix Felicis, much? Earlier this year, during an interview with the ATP Tour, he said, “I’m the most competitive person that I know. I just compete in everything…I don’t like losing, it’s just in my blood.” His rapid rise has even caught the attention of the tennis legend, John McEnroe. In January 2025, McEnroe heaped praise on this 20-year-old lad by saying he’s a natural tennis player.

Having said that, McEnroe also dropped a bold prediction for Alex Michelsen by saying, “I expect him to be in the top 10 in the next couple of years. I’m not ready to say he will win majors yet, but I believe he will be a top-10 player soon.” But when it comes to winning Slams, during a recent conversation with EssentiallySports, Michelsen revealed that he feels he has more time than his peers (like Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Frances Tiafoe) to kind of figure it out. Time will tell whether he wins a major title in the future or not, but let’s take some time out to get to know him.

Where is Alex Michelsen from? What’s his nationality?

Born on August 25, 2004, in Aliso Viejo, California, Alex Michelsen hails from America. However, despite being born in California, Michelsen now lives in New York, and this shift in base has helped him get closer to the USA’s biggest tennis community and access to the best training facilities. 

This young American has found fame at a very young age. He had won both singles and doubles titles at the Easter Bowl in 2022, and also bagged the Wimbledon doubles title in the same year alongside Sebastian Gorzny. According to Michelsen, winning that Wimbledon doubles title had the biggest impact on his career. He once said, “Holding a Wimbledon trophy, even juniors, was super cool for me. I never thought that would happen. By far my favorite moment in tennis.“

However, at the senior level, this right-handed American tennis star is yet to win a title in his career. But earlier this year, Michelsen stunned everyone by making it to the fourth round of the AO.

What are his ethnicity and religion?

Alex Michelsen’s ethnicity is American, and his parents, Erik and Sondra Michelsen, are both former college tennis players, but there is no specific information available about their background or religion. His father, Erik, is a lawyer and played college tennis at the University of Redlands, where he earned three-time All-American honors, while his mother, Sondra, is a retired teacher and played college tennis at San Diego University, where she earned the prestigious Arthur Ashe Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship in 1989.

Once while speaking about the contributions of his parents in his career, Alex Michelsen said, “She (his mother) taught me how to play, and I was hitting with her almost every day until I was 15 or 16. My earliest tennis memory was when I was four, and it started raining, and I was crying to her because I couldn’t play.” Michelsen also has an older brother named Jake, who is three years older than him.

Which high school did Alex Michelsen attend?

During a previous episode of the Behind the Racquet podcast, Alex Michelsen revealed, “Before COVID, I was in regular high school, I played high school tennis. I was good… I was still a solid tennis player, but I never thought I’d be playing the ITF juniors to the [junior] slams to futures [tournaments].” In his childhood days, he also used to play baseball and soccer but showed proficiency in tennis. He was a dominant junior, winning several big titles while playing for Aliso Niguel High School.

Later on, although he was committed to the University of Georgia en route to becoming an NCAA tennis player, following in the footsteps of his father, Michelsen changed his mind after that. Despite signing a letter of intent in 2022, Alex Michelsen decided against it at the very last moment and turned pro. 

While speaking to ATP about his decision not to go to college, Michelsen said, “This is a much better life than doing that. College tennis did sound fun, and it is fun. It looks awesome. But I’ve just never been a big school guy, so I’m super happy… I’m not the most social guy, either. I just like to play tennis and chill out, do my thing. I think the way I’m living my life is something I never considered growing up.” It was definitely not an easy decision for this young lad, but so far, he has been making full use of his chances at the bigger tennis events.

Currently, he is taking part in the Canadian Open, and he recently defeated the world number 10, Lorenzo Musetti, in the R32 by 3-6,7-6(4),6-4. Next up for him will be his countryman, Learner Tien. Can he beat Tien and secure a spot in the QF? Toss us a prediction in the comments below.