Getting To Know Netflix Break Point Star Felix Auger-Aliassime

ATP Tour

He may still only be 22 years old, but Felix Auger-Aliassime is already a well-established member of the global tennis elite. Since making his ATP Tour debut as a 17-year-old in 2018, Auger-Aliassime has thrilled crowds around the world with his clean hitting and athleticism, all while maintaining a collected on-court demeanour.

The engaging Canadian now stars in Netflix’s new documentary series Break Point, which went behind the scenes of a 2022 season that proved to be the most successful of Auger-Aliassime’s young career. Now, ATPTour.com digs out five things you might not know about one of the coolest customers on Tour.

1. He Is A Talented Pianist.
Auger-Aliassime is one of a number of budding musicians on the ATP Tour. The Canadian still enjoys sitting down at the piano at his parents’ house in Montreal and has posted demonstrations of his skills on Instagram in the past. Life on Tour can make it difficult to keep up a regular practice schedule, but Auger-Aliassime’s essential skills are deep-rooted.

"I used to [play] as a kid,” said Auger-Aliassime in 2019. “Maybe that's my artistic thing. I haven't been playing in a long time, because I'm always on the road, but whenever I have a chance, I like to play a little bit."

🎾 and 🎹 player? 😲@felixtennis is a man with many talents 🙌

🎥: @felixtennis pic.twitter.com/U1uzHx4gpd

— ATP Tour (@atptour) April 2, 2019

2. He Is Very Proud Of Where He Is From.
The emergence of Auger-Aliassime and his long-time friend Denis Shapovalov at the top level has helped Canadian tennis hit some unprecedented highs in recent years. In 2022, the two stars led their country to victory at two team events, the ATP Cup and the Davis Cup, while in August he became the first person from Quebec to reach the quarter-finals in the 141-year history of the ATP Masters 1000 event in Montreal.

“Montreal people are really proud people,” said Auger-Aliassime during that run. “We are a small community in the world. We support each other in what we do, especially in professional sport. When you see an athlete come from the province of Quebec and do big things, people are very proud. It makes me proud to be in that position.”

3. He Donates To Charity Each Time He Wins A Point.
It is not just his Canadian roots with which Auger-Aliassime holds a strong connection. Prior to the 2020 season, he announced that he would donate $5 for every point he wins to EduChange, which partners with CARE to support the protection and education of children in Togo, from where his father Sam hails. Since then, the #FAAPointsForChange project has raised €329,720 to support the protection and education of children in the West African nation.

"I'm not doing this to have a better conscience or to tell myself that I'm going to sleep better at night,” wrote Auger-Aliassime on Instagram in December after travelling to Togo to meet some of the children supported by the project. “But if I didn't do anything, I would surely be less comfortable with myself. Sharing is important."

 

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4. Felix’s Key To High Performance: Relax Your Eyes!
Tennis fans are used to seeing Auger-Aliassime chasing the ball around court with ease, but the Canadian has a secret weapon to keep his razor-sharp reactions at the best for big matches — his glasses!

"[I switch to glasses] when I’m travelling… It’s not good if I keep my contacts on for too long,” Auger-Aliassime told ATP Uncovered last year. “If I’m travelling overseas on a long flight, I’ll take my contacts off and travel with my glasses, then take them off if I want to sleep. Usually I travel with [my glasses] to kind of relax my eyes."

5. He Is Coached By Rafael Nadal's Uncle, Toni Nadal.
Since 2021, Auger-Aliassime has worked with Toni Nadal, who coached his nephew and ATP great Rafael Nadal to 16 Grand Slam titles. Toni’s big-stage experience appears to have rubbed off on the Canadian — alongside long-term coach Frederic Fontang, the Spaniard has helped Auger-Aliassime become a regular presence in the Top 10 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

“I told myself that it would be good to go to somebody who has been at the highest level of our sport,” said Auger-Aliassime of Nadal in 2021. “Someone who has been to where I want to go one day… The first thing is the respect, the honesty and the trust. For me, [those] are very important values that Toni tries to bring to the table. It matches and works with which I believe in. For me, they are simple things, but simple things that are not always easy to do.”