ith a smile, Félix Auger-Aliassime says: “Well, imagine you’re 13. I had been to Europe. I had been to America. I live in Canada. And then you go to Togo; it’s a little different, you know?”
Auger-Aliassime, the seventh best tennis player in the world, was describing the homecoming he enjoyed 12 years ago as he first caught a glimpse of Togo, the country his father, Sam, was born in and emigrated from to Canada before his son’s birth. It was a significant moment in his life.
“It opened my eyes,” he says. “I had heard stories, but it opened my eyes to the reality of what my dad faced growing up, the conditions. And you’re fighting against the [odds]. If we’re in a race with the rest of the world, you’re starting further behind [in Togo] than, let’s say, we are in Canada. So I thought to myself, if one day we can come back as a family, do something.”
Since that first trip as a 13‑year‑old, Auger-Aliassime has returned to Togo numerous times to visit his family, further connecting with his heritage and following the progress of his charity efforts. He most recently returned in December 2024. For Auger‑Aliassime, the most eye‑opening part of his homecoming was the kindness and contentment he saw throughout his time in Togo, even from those living under extremely challenging circumstances.
“You imagine how it is, but it’s not quite the reality. I saw that [their difficulties] didn’t change that the people had good spirits. They had smiles on their faces, and they were positive people, and everybody’s kind to each other,” Auger-Aliassime says. “At the same time, I saw the conditions. How many kids were in one class, up to 50 [children] in one class. The material not being the same at all. The infrastructure, obviously, is adapted to the conditions there, but nowhere near the level of what we have in Canada or countries in Europe. That was eye opening.”
He soon transformed those thoughts of “doing something” into decisive action. Since 2020, Auger‑Aliassime has partnered with the humanitarian aid organisation Care to support thousands of people in Togo. His fundraising efforts have included #FAAPointsForChange initiative, which sees him donate $5 (£3.70) for each point he wins on the tour to benefit children in Togo, with his partner BNP Paribas tripling the amount. Those funds have been invested in a variety of initiatives, from providing school supplies and sports equipment to aiding the development of young adults, directly affecting more than 2,700 people. “It has grown,” he says.
“We’re transitioning now to helping the best in the classes to get scholarships, to go to universities. Often what happens is they drop out. Even if they’re brilliant, they’d drop out of school because they just need money and school is too expensive. So [we] get scholarships for higher studies, and … I believe it’s going to pay off.”
Auger-Aliassime’s most recent journey to Togo preceded one of the most significant runs of his career. Towards the end of 2024, he was struggling with his game. He had fallen to No 29 in the ATP rankings, his results were inconsistent and confidence was low: “It was not like I was losing all the time. But for sure there were months where I was thinking: ‘OK, what’s my approach tactically with my game?’ Once I got the physical things kind of sorted out, it was like: ‘OK, now I’m healthy again. How am I playing?’ […] The challenge is to make that as consistent as possible,” he says.
On and off the court, Auger‑Aliassime is known for his professionalism, humility and diligence. His quiet hard work began to pay off in the second half of 2025. He thrived in the US hard-court swing, reaching his second career grand slam semi‑final at the US Open. He ended his season by winning his eighth career title in Brussels and reaching the semi-finals of the ATP Finals, a searing run that earned him a spot inside the world’s top five.
Along with the untouchable performances from Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, the dearth of true challengers at the top of the sport has been compounded by serious injuries to some of the other most talented young players on the tour, including the 24-year-old Jack Draper, the 22-year-old Holger Rune and the 21-year-old Arthur Fils. Auger-Aliassime therefore returns to Melbourne for the Australian Open in a position that seemed unlikely a year ago: between his quality and good form, he is one of the few players harbouring realistic hopes of making life difficult for the two favourites.
At 25 years old, Auger-Aliassime is also already approaching veteran status in the game. It has been 11 years since, aged 14, he became the youngest male player in history to win an ATP Challenger match. Hype inevitably followed in 2015, with the Canadian being tipped to instantly win grand slam tournaments and lead the new generation. Many believe he has underachieved considering his significant shotmaking and athletic potential.
However, his father’s journey from Togo to Canada positions his achievements in a different light: “[Thinking of] the stories from him growing up, it’s just the freedom they had. It was just kind of being isolated from the rest of the world, but at the same time, he’s there, and they feel like their town is the centre of the world. The stories he tells me are always positive,” Auger‑Aliassime said.
“He met my [Canadian] mum, and they had a great time [in Togo]. And then moving to Canada, it was different for him. It was difficult, because all of a sudden, you have to come and work. You don’t want this to be a failure. You don’t want to move to Canada and […] you just end up, I don’t know, bouncing from jobs, not achieving something.”
From those simple beginnings, it was Sam Aliassime who first coached his son. Auger-Aliassime now travels and works with his father around the world, competing in the biggest tournaments as one of the best players each week. In this context, his achievements and career have long been remarkable.
