He is only 22 years of age, but Felix Auger Aliassime is already an established member of the global tennis community. Auger-Aliassime, who made his ATP Tour debut in 2018 as a 17 year-old, has delighted crowds all over the world with his athleticism and clean hitting. He also maintains a calm on-court demeanour.
The engaging Canadian now stars in Netflix’s new documentary series Break Point, which went behind the scenes of a 2022 season that proved to be the most successful of Auger-Aliassime’s young career. ATPTour.com reveals five facts about one of Tour’s most popular customers.
1. He is a talented pianist.
Auger Aliassime is just one of the many budding musicians who are part of the ATP Tour. The Canadian still enjoys sitting down at the piano at his parents’ house in Montreal and has posted demonstrations of his skills on Instagram in the past. Life on Tour can make it difficult to keep up a regular practice schedule, but Auger-Aliassime’s essential skills are deep-rooted.
I used to [play] as a kid,” said Auger-Aliassime in 2019. “Maybe that’s my artistic thing. I haven’t played in a while because I’m always on the go, but I do like to play when I get a chance.
🎾 and 🎹 player? 😲@felixtennis is a man of many talents🙌
🎥: @felixtennis pic.twitter.com/U1uzHx4gpd
— ATP Tour (@atptour) April 2, 2019
2. He is proud of where he comes from
Canadian tennis has seen unprecedented success in recent years thanks to Auger-Aliassime’s rise and his long-time friend Denis Shapovalov. The two stars won two team events in 2022, the ATP Cup as well as the Davis Cup. In August, he became the first Quebecer to reach the quarter-finals of the 141-year-old ATP Masters 1000 event in Montreal.
“Montreal people are really proud people,” said Auger-Aliassime during that run. “We are a small community in the world. We support each other, especially in professional sports. People are proud when they see an athlete from Quebec do big things. It makes me proud to be in that position.”
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Netflix Q&A: Break Point With Felix Auger-Aliassime
3. Each time he wins a Point, he donates to charity.
Auger-Aliassime has strong ties to his Canadian roots. He announced prior to the 2020 season that he would donate $5 for each point he wins, to EduChange, a partner with CARE, to support the education and protection of children in Togo (from where his father Sam is from). Since then, the #FAAPointsForChange project has raised €329,720 to support the protection and education of children in the West African nation.
“I’m not doing this to have a better conscience or to tell myself that I’m going to sleep better at night,” wrote Auger-Aliassime on Instagram in December after travelling to Togo to meet some of the children supported by the project. “But if I didn’t do anything, I would surely be less comfortable with myself. Sharing is important.”
4. Felix’s Key To High Performance: Relax Your Eyes!
Tennis fans are used to seeing Auger-Aliassime chasing the ball around court with ease, but the Canadian has a secret weapon to keep his razor-sharp reactions at the best for big matches — his glasses!
“[I switch to glasses] when I’m travelling… It’s not good if I keep my contacts on for too long,” Auger-Aliassime told ATP Uncovered last year. “If I’m travelling overseas on a long flight, I’ll take my contacts off and travel with my glasses, then take them off if I want to sleep. I usually travel with my family. [my glasses] To relax my eyes in a very special way.”
5. Toni Nadal, Rafael Nadal’s uncle, coaches him.
Auger-Aliassime worked with Toni Nadal since 2021. Toni was the coach of Rafael Nadal’s nephew to 16 Grand Slam titles. Toni’s big-stage experience appears to have rubbed off on the Canadian — alongside long-term coach Frederic Fontang, the Spaniard has helped Auger-Aliassime become a regular presence in the Top 10 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.
“I told myself that it would be good to go to somebody who has been at the highest level of our sport,” said Auger-Aliassime of Nadal in 2021. “Someone who has been to where I want to go one day… The first thing is the respect, the honesty and the trust. I believe in: [those] Toni tries to bring these very important values to the table. It is compatible and works with what I believe in. For me, they are simple things, but simple things that are not always easy to do.”