Canada, Fontang, Davis Cup: Everything you always wanted to know about Felix Auger-Aliassime (but never had time to find out) – updated after 2024 Australian Open
Find out everything you need to know about the young Canadian star Felix Auger-Aliassime, who won three titles in a row as he qualified for the season-ending ATP Finals in 2022
Felix Auger-Aliassime – UTS 2
Who is Felix Auger-Aliassime?
Felix Auger-Aliassime is Canada’s highest-ranked male tennis player. He has won five ATP titles, including four in 2022, He ended the year ranked a career-high No 6 and led Canada to an historic victory in Davis Cup.
In 2023, he won one title and finished the year ranked world No 29. He was named the Tennis Canada men’s player of the year and men’s singles player of the year.
What happened to Felix Auger-Aliassime at Grand Slams in 2023?
Auger-Aliassime made it to the fourth round of the Australian Open in 2023, but lost in the first round of every other Grand Slam of the year, going down in straight sets to Fabio Fognini at Roland-Garros, in four sets to Michael Mmoh at Wimbledon, and in four sets to Mackenzie McDonald at the US Open.
Has Felix Auger-Aliassime won the Davis Cup with Canada?
Yes. Auger-Aliassime has played in the Davis Cup competition for Canada multiple times in his career, with much success. He helped his country reach the final for the first time in 2019, losing to Spain. Canada won the title for the first time in 2022, with Finals wins over Germany, Italy, and Australia. Auger-Aliassime won all three of his singles matches in Malaga and also won a decisive doubles rubber with Vasek Pospisil in the semi-finals against Italy. The Canadians swept the Aussies 2-0 in the final.
Did Felix Auger-Aliassime play in the 2022 ATP Finals in Turin?
Yes. Auger-Aliassime qualified for the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin for the first time, on the back of three titles in three weeks, in Florence, Antwerp and Basel. He lost to Casper Ruud in his opening match in Turin but beat Rafael Nadal for the first time to take his record to 1-1 heading to his last group match. He then lost to Taylor Fritz in a final-set tiebreak as he was eliminated.
How many ATP Tour titles has Felix Auger-Aliassime won?
Four. After losing his first eight ATP Tour finals, Auger-Aliassime finally got over the line when he beat Stefanos Tsitsipas to win the ABN AMRO Word Indoor Tournament in Rotterdam in February 2022.
“It’s not been the smoothest road since I reached my first final three years ago,” Auger-Aliassime said. “It’s an amazing day for me to get this first title. It’s the happiest day of my career and the first of many to come.”
Since then, he has won four more titles – three in 2022, in Florence, Antwerp and Basel, and the most recent in Basel again in October 2023.
What did Auger-Aliassime achieve in October 2022?
The Canadian went on a tear during the fall indoor season. He picked up his second title in Florence in October when he beat JJ Wolf in straight sets, the following week in Antwerp, he beat Sebastian Korda to win the European Open, and then beat Danish teen Holger Rune to win the Swiss Indoors in Basel – a 13 match winning streak which made him the first player since Pete Sampras to win four indoor titles in the same year.
Auger-Aliassime’s most recent Grand Slam performance came at the 2024 Australian Open, where he reacheed the third round before losing in straight sets to Daniil Medvedev. In his first-round match, the Canadian beat Dominic Thiem in an epic five-setter.
Why was Felix Auger-Aliassime’s round of 16 match at Roland-Garros 2022 so interesting?
Felix Auger-Aliassime played Rafael Nadal in the round of 16 at Roland-Garros in 2022. The Canadian is mentored by Nadal’s uncle and former coach, Toni. In the end, Nadal won the match in five sets – and went on to win the French Open for a record 14th time.
What did Felix Auger-Aliassime do at the US Open in 2021?
Felix Auger-Aliassime achieved his best Grand Slam performance to date at the US Open in 2021 when he reached the semi-finals. The Canadian beat Roberto Bautista Agut, Frances Tiafoe and Carlos Alcaraz before losing to eventual champion Daniil Medvedev. He was the first Canadian man ever to reach the semi-finals at the US Open.
What is Felix Auger-Aliassime’s highest ranking to date?
Felix Auger-Aliassime broke into the world’s top 10 for the first time on November 15, 2021. His highest ranking is No 6, which he achieved for the first time in November 2022. You can find his current ranking and ranking history on his ATP profile page.
When was Felix Auger-Aliassime born?
Felix Auger-Aliassime was born on August 8, 2000, making him 22 years old. He shares a birthday with Roger Federer, his idol when he was growing up.
What is Auger-Aliassime’s nationality?
Felix Auger-Aliassime is Canadian. He was born in Montreal, in the province of Quebec.
How tall is Auger-Aliassime?
He stands an impressive 6ft 4in tall.
What is his family background?
His mother Marie Auger is from Quebec, and his father Sam Aliassime is from Togo. He has a sister Malika – also a tennis player.
He has shared photos on social media of himself with girlfriend Nina Ghaibi, a Croatian equestrian star – who is cousin to Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic.
Auger-Aliassime has an academy in Quebec and in December 2022 he visited Togo to check in on a project he set up two years ago. Together with BNP Paribas and the NGO CARE, he began #FAAPointsforChange, to promote education and protect children’s rights on the lands of his ancestors, in la Kara, Togo.
For each point he wins, Auger-Aliassime gives 5 dollars and BNP Paribas adds 15. The total now stands at 16,486 points (nearly 330,000 dollars), as of December 4, 2022.
“It’s amazing how we can change their lives,” Auger-Aliassime said, quoted by Le Parisien newspaper. “For example, I met a young seamstress. If she had not had the opportunity to do her training, which will give her a diploma in a year and perhaps allow her to have her own workshop, she would probably be trafficked, sent to Nigeria or Africa. of the West and you can imagine the rest… Often these are orphans or children with a single parent, who have to fend for themselves. CARE helps guide them.”
Who is Auger-Aliassime’s coach?
Felix Auger-Aliassime’s coaches are former French players Guillaume Marx and Frederic Fontang. In April 2021, he announced that Toni Nadal – uncle of Rafael Nadal – would be serving as a mentor for him and join his coaching team.
Welcome aboard Toni 🙌🏽 pic.twitter.com/BGH0HIapUr
— Félix AugerAliassime (@felixtennis) April 8, 2021
Frederic Fontang spoke exclusively to Alize Lim in the Tennis Majors show Major Talk about his work with Auger-Aliassime and how the coaching team operates.
What other talents does he have?
Auger-Aliassime is very creative, and says if he wasn’t a tennis player, he would be an artist. He also plays the piano.
When did he start his career?
He started playing tennis when he was four years old, and enjoyed a successful junior career in singles, winning the Junior US Open in 2016 and finishing as runner-up at Roland-Garros the same year. He had won the junior doubles title in New York the year previously, partnering with his compatriot Denis Shapovalov. He turned professional in 2017.
What does Auger-Aliassime think about current affairs and social issues?
He has praised the racial diversity on show in New York.
“You hope that you’re leading by example, that kids, in you, they see belief, that you can reach that whatever city, country you come from, whatever neighbourhood you come from. I hope this gives a lot of belief to people, and it’s a good message of love. Yeah, I’m happy to see a lot of my peers and players I guess looking like me in the further rounds.”
He also leads a campaign to fund education programmes for children in Togo.
How much prize money has he won?
According to the official ATP Tour website, Auger-Aliassime has won a combined singles and doubles total prize money of $11.44 million, as of October 2023. More than $4 million of that came in 2022 alone.
Does he have social media accounts?
He has an Instagram account with 552,000 followers, and a Twitter account with 138,500 followers.
