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Canadian tennis sensation Felix Auger-Aliassime has won the Lionel Conacher Award as The Canadian Press male athlete of the year.
He is the third tennis player in history to receive the honor, having been given out yearly since 1932, following Milos Raonic (2013, 2014) and Denis Shapovalov (2017). Last year's winner was decathlete Damian Warner.
The award came as a result of Auger-Aliassime's spectacular 2022 season. He won four titles in Rotterdam, Florence, Antwerp, and Basel, finishing the season at No. 6 in the ATP rankings, his highest year-end finish to date.
The Canadian finished his 2022 campaign with three victories in the Davis Cup knockout stage in Malaga last month, including one in the final against Australia. His efforts helped Canada win the team tournament for the first time in their history.
In an interview with We Are Tennis, Felix Auger-Aliassime disclosed that he was really pleased about achieving all of his goals this year.
"It's a great satisfaction, it's maybe even the first year where I can really say that I have achieved all my goals and even better. When I look at the season in a whole and tell myself that I won my titles and that I qualified for the Masters, that I am now sixth in the world, I am very pleased," Auger-Aliassime said.
"One of the big turning points was winning the ATP Cup" - Felix Auger-Aliassime on what kick-started his breakthrough season
In an interview with Eurosport, Felix Auger-Aliassime explained that winning the ATP Cup in January was a watershed moment for his 2022 season.
"One of the big turning points was winning the ATP Cup. You’re not just playing for yourself but for your team-mates, and to clinch the victory is double pressure. It was a big confidence booster," Auger-Aliassime said.
He then lavished praise on his countryman Denis Shapovalov.
"Having Denis [Shapovalov] by my side in all those moments pushing each other is very positive. That’s the kind of energy and competition you want as countrymen and teammates. We bring out the best in each other," he said.
Felix Auger-Aliassime also admitted that his ball toss is one area of his game where he’s looking to improve.
"I’ve struggled with it in the past, and it’s still not perfect. It’s an ongoing work. I try to analyse it and work on it every chance I get — every warm-up, every practice — just so that I have a very stable serve. I think it’s showing in my stats and my results," the 22-year-old said.
