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World No. 9 Felix Auger-Aliassime is one of the most talented young players on the tennis circuit currently. He has shown his worth with significant performances in the last few years, establishing himself as one of the strongest players on the tour.
The Canadian was ranked outside the top 500 in 2016 but has moved inside the top 10 this year. He also picked up his first ever ATP 500 title at the Rotterdam Open in February.
Auger-Aliassime reflected back on his inspiring journey in an interview with Mexican media line Esto and shared how he developed an affinity for this game at a very young age.
"Well, I already knew at the age of six or seven that I wanted to be a professional tennis player. My father was a coach and it was always my dream to pursue tennis, I never wanted to do anything else. It's amazing that I look back at my journey and there is no time that I dint want to try to get to the place where I am at the moment, I guess I'm lucky to find my passion at such a young age. Being able to succeed in this sport has always been my goal," said Auger-Aliassime.
The 21-year-old also spoke about dealing with the heavy expectations that come with playing the sport at the highest level.
"I consider that I have dealt with expectations in a good way because I have always been true to myself, I have remained the person I have always been and I have had people close to me. At the end of the day you only want to maintain a good relationship with the people who are important to you. Now speaking of tennis, the expectations of the others are not greater than my own expectations. I believe in myself to achieve important things within the sport, so pressure is something that I have to deal with and its something that I have learned in recent years," Auger-Aliassime stated.
"I would say mentally he has given me a lot of confidence with my game" - Felix Auger-Aliassime on his alliance with coach Toni Nadal
Felix Auger-Aliassime started working with Toni Nadal, one of the most successful coaches in the game, in 2021.
The Canadian stated that his new coach, who forged the legacy of 22-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal, has had a huge impact not just on his physical game but also his for his mental approach to tennis.
"I would say that mentally he has given me a lot of confidence by sharing conversations and spending time with me during tournaments. He makes me believe that I have what it takes to accomplish my goals and has always been very positive with me, I think that it is everything you want from someone. He has been a great support for me and my team and we have learned from his experience, which has resulted in a successful partnership," Auger-Aliassime said
The 21-year-old is currently competing at the Los Cabos Open in Mexico. He received a first-round bye and began his campaign with a straight-sets win over Juan Alejandro Hernandez Serrano in the second round. Auger-Aliassime will square off against American Steve Johnson in the quarterfinals on Friday.
