Felix Auger Aliassime: Playing tennis is like getting your dream job. There is nothing better

For a child prodigy who grew up in an unrelenting spotlight, the first thing you notice about Felix Auger-Aliassime is a sense of calm. He’s extraordinarily polite, wearing a spotless white tracksuit that perfectly matches the sparkle in his eye, but even that pales in comparison to the grace the Canadian exudes on the pitch. Two weeks ago, at Roger Federer’s spiritual home in Halle, Auger-Aliassime came down from a set to secure victory, his youthful vigor matched by cunning precision. Two decades after Federer’s decisive victory over Pete Sampras, this wasn’t quite the passing of the torch, but it’s clear to see the regal qualities and affinity for grass that Auger Aliassime has inherited from his idol. It was a special moment in the short history of my career, he says.

Auger-Aliassime, who turns 21 in August, may still be considered a rising star on tour, but that short history has already earned an avalanche of accolades. As a junior, he won the US Open in both singles and doubles and proved the dexterity of his technique by reaching a clay court final at the French Open as well. At just 14 years old, he became the youngest player to win a main draw on the ATP’s Challenger Tour and followed it up by breaking into the top 200 just three years later, making him the youngest to do so since Rafael Nadal. To the outside world, after such extraordinary performances, Auger-Aliassimes’ status as a contender at Wimbledon this week was inevitable to the point of being destined.

However, success can also disguise the pressure. When he made his debut here as an 18-year-old two years ago, Auger-Aliassime, who lost a match point in his third-round match against Ugo Humbert and quickly unraveled, had the racket in his hand like a stranger by his end. After that, he went so far as to describe his performance as quite embarrassing.

The first time I was at Wimbledon was quite nerve-wracking, he says. I was a bit overwhelmed by the attention and pressure that was being put on me. I feel like I’ve learned to better deal with that, the outside expectation, what people might say or what I might see in the media. I just feel like it’s a process you learn. Two years ago I just didn’t feel right inside, I felt a little too nervous. Now I feel more relieved and relaxed. I want to show up and handle myself and these things are clearer in my mind.

If there could be one criticism of Auger-Aliassim, it’s his record on the bigger stage. He has reached eight ATP finals in his career, an astonishing feat in itself, but an unavoidable blemish from his failure to take the title on every opportunity. To rectify that, he has enlisted the help of Rafaels’ uncle and former coach Toni Nadal to streamline the whirlwind of thoughts and emotions that encompasses every match, but insists those defeats will not cloud his overall progress. While Federer and Nadal took years to use the fiery traits that so often marked their childhood, Auger-Aliassime uses his maturity as a defense mechanism.

Sometimes it is not so obvious. There may be weeks or months when you feel a little less confident and it’s normal to accept that, he says. The road I want to go, the road to excellence, is not a straight line, it’s a bit of a roller coaster and there are ups and downs. We’re all human, we all have, not necessarily doubts, but times when you wonder what I’ve done wrong? There have been great moments and some of them were difficult, but that’s just the story with tennis. That’s kind of the story of my life: always asking how to improve.

Auger-Aliassime attributes his work ethic and sense of perspective to his father, a tennis teacher who immigrated to Canada from Togo. He had very few opportunities and was able to do better in his life and wish a better life for his children, he says. The message for me has always been to work hard and be consistent and he taught me that from an early age. I’ll keep that with me for the rest of my life, that’s the most important thing, and to never lose the belief that you can do good things.

His mother, a schoolteacher, made sure that Auger-Aliassime was able to compartmentalise the pressures of growing up playing tennis so that he could appreciate the other moments. In reality, however, the foundation of his success long before he was announced the face of a new generation was that the hard work never felt like a sacrifice. For Auger-Aliassim, tennis at its most basic level is a source of joy, not a profession. Still in these glittering early stages of his career, only that quality will sustain one of the greatest sports talents.

I love what I do and I am privileged to be able to play tennis like this in my life at such a young age, he says. It’s like getting your dream job at 18. There is nothing better.