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Felix Auger-Aliassime wrote a touching love letter to tennis, detailing the highs and lows of his career while expressing his hopes for the future.
Felix Auger-Aliassime addressed tennis in a video for the ATP social media and recalled his first memory of being introduced to the sport. He recollected falling in love with tennis and expressed that his initial experience with the sport was just as good as his present experience.
"Dear tennis, I remember when I was first introduced to you, I was 3 or 4 eyears old. It really was love at first sight for me. I always remember having a tennis racquet in my hand, going to the tennis court. So the first meeting was as good as it is now," the Canadian said.
The World No. 9 expressed his gratitude to the sport for teaching him the importance of perseverance, acceptance and resilience. He divulged that he had learned to find joy in competition and introspection through tennis.
"You have given me a lot of different things. You’ve taught me a lot of great values of perseverance, acceptance, resilience, and just also the pleasure of competing. The pleasure of digging deep within yourself and finding ways to improve. So all these values are such important things to learn," Felix Auger-Aliassime added.
Auger-Aliassime admitted that it can be hard to love tennis sometimes because of the challenges it creates for all professional players. He referred to his relationship with the sport as a "love-hate" relationship. However, the Canadian contended that setbacks and disappointments help the players to learn and improve as players and as individuals.
"Well, sometimes it's hard to love you. It's kind of a love-hate relationship in a way, because you challenge me and you challenge all players to push themselves to be better all the time and to accept losses," he said.
"I think setbacks, doubting yourself at times too, that's the tough part about it. But at the end it all makes sense when you learn from those times. And it makes sense because you learn a lot about yourself and you improve as a person," he added.
Felix Auger-Aliassime calls winning the Rotterdam title in 2022 a decisive moment in his career
Felix Auger-Aliassime credited his victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas in the ABN AMRO Open final in 2022 as a pivotal moment in his career. Auger-Aliassime lost eight ATP finals in a row before winning his first ever tour title in Rotterdam.
"There's been many good moments for me, fortunately. But I think actually winning in Rotterdam in 2022 was kind of that moment where everything made sense. Just everything clicked. That was probably one of the best feelings I’ve felt on a tennis court," he said.
Auger-Aliassime signed off with the hope that his relationship with tennis would remain healthy and continue to improve as he furthered his experience with the sport.
"I hope that our relationship stays healthy. I know I’m going to be challenged but I hope that I have a long relationship with you and that I grow into the sport. Love, Felix," he signed off.
Felix Auger-Aliassime is currently competing at the 2023 ATP Qatar Open, where he will take on Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the quarterfinals.
