Felix Balshaw speaks with a strong French accent, a sign of how deeply he has embraced his adopted country. Born in Leeds, the 20-year-old is the son of England Rugby World Cup winner Iain Balshaw, the full-back/wing who scored three tries in England's iconic 2003 campaign. When his father joined the exodus to the French Top 14, the family moved to Biarritz in 2009, and Felix grew up in the Basque coastal city. Felix says, "I grew up in France and, as each day went by, I felt more and more French." He has competed under the French flag since his days in Tennis Europe juniors.
Trips back to England have been "very rare" for the Balshaw children, largely limited to Christmas family gatherings. Felix has never visited his father's hometown of Blackburn. Still, he is well aware of his father's place in English sporting history. He recently celebrated the first ATP Tour victory of his career, beating Portuguese world number 56 Jaime Faria at the ATP 250 event in Lyon. The win came with a Roger Federer-style one-handed backhand and a Thor-inspired hammer celebration. He broke into the world's top 200 last month for the first time.
Felix started playing tennis at four and also showed a talent for rugby. At 13, he chose tennis, feeling that rugby would not be his sport. He describes tennis as harder because it is an individual sport, but said it gave him more fire. Ahead of his Lyon clash with fellow Frenchman Corentin Moutet, he watched highlights of his father's 2003 World Cup matches and said he "just had a massive smile."
Felix is often compared to Arthur Fery, the French-born British number one whose run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in July made him a household name. The two met for the first time in Lyon. Balshaw is set to rise into the world's top 180 next week, having started the 2026 season ranked 718th. His progress is likely to draw the attention of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), which is keen to grow the pool of British players at the elite level.
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing