"Before that, he was doing any job, minimum wage" - Felix Auger-Aliassime reveals how his immigrant father survived in Canada due to tennis

Felix Auger-Aliassime spoke about his father's humble beginnings, how he discovered tennis as his passion, and how he later instilled that love in his children. The Canadian player trounced Alejandro Tabilo in the Shanghai Masters opening round and will next be in contention with Jesper De Jong.

After Sam's move to Canada, he worked odd jobs, mostly for minimum wage, until he met a bunch of people who connected him to varied opportunities through tennis. Revealing how the sport has been his father's savior, Felix Auger-Aliassime said:

"I think my dad gave me the right work ethic. Tennis in my house, for my dad, it's still his number one passion today. That's all he thinks about. He has an academy back home, and he loves tennis. So, tennis kind of saved my dad's life in his mind. It gave him an opportunity to be like, okay. This is what I'm good at. And when he came to Canada in the late 90s, it gave him like the real first job opportunity. Before that, he was doing any job he could get, minimum wage. But after he met some people, and that's when he got some good opportunities through tennis. So, he's always been thankful to that sport and grateful that tennis is in his life." (via Changeover podcast)

The two-time Grand Slam finalist also shared that his father instilled the passion in his sister and him as well.

"To me, he gave my sister and I that passion very young. I remember being six/seven and it was like, okay, you see tennis on TV. You see Wimbledon and Grand Slams and tell my dad I want to play there one day. "

Felix Auger-Aliassime, who peaked at No. 6 in 2022, has been coached by former French professional player Frederic Fontang since 2017. He also worked with Rafael Nadal's uncle Toni, but their partnership ended organically after a period of time.

However, it was at home that Auger-Aliassime recognized his flair for the sport and began under his father, Sam Aliassime, who emigrated from Togo. Auger-Aliassime became the youngest player to amass multiple Challenger titles at 17 years of age.

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Felix Auger-Aliassime explained how his mother's role helped tone down his father's intensity

Auger-Aliassime at the 2025 US Open - Day 13 - (Source: Getty)

Felix Auger-Aliassime's mother, Marie Auger of French-Canadian descent, was never a sports enthusiast but always supported her kids, Malika and Felix. A teacher by profession, her role in the household was to balance the intensity Sam brought to the table with his passion for tennis and his desire to make his kids the best players. (beginning 1:25). During a conversation with Change Over Podcast the 25-year-old said.

"My mom was a great balance in all of that, because my dad was very intense, but in the right way, like he wasn't, I will never say, like he was negative in any way. He was fair anytime that he was tough on me.. But yeah, he was good, but my mom really, not coming from sports at all, gave me a whole different perspective on life and other things.." (via Change Over podcast)

Felix Auger-Aliassime recently tied the knot with his long-time partner and equestrian Nina Ghaibi in an intimate ceremony in Morocco. The couple has also been spending their honeymoon in Shanghai as the former continues his Asian hard-court stint.