Tennis player Félix Auger-Aliassime reached an important stage in his career this year, collecting success on the court and receiving praise for his game, human qualities and interpersonal skills.
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“FAA” has become a sporting must-have in Quebec and Canada: he is an outstanding ambassador today and at 22 years old he will be for many years to come. The proof of that is that people here, whether tennis enthusiasts or not, get to know him by seeing him regularly on television: in commercials, in prime time programs and of course in news reports showing his prowess.
The agency QMI has decided to make him their personality of the year 2022 through a survey of Quebecor media information managers.
Auger-Aliassime, who grew up in L’Ancienne-Lorette before moving to Montreal, has given the media at home and abroad multiple reasons to talk about him over the past 12 months. It all started in January with Canada’s triumph at the ATP Cup in Sydney, but most of all the last stage before the ATP Finals will be remembered by many.
Félix, winner of a first title at the professional circuit in February in Rotterdam, won 16 consecutive games this fall and won three tournaments in a row – those of Florence, Antwerp and Basel – to qualify for the final at the end of the season campaign in sixth place in the world rankings.
Model for Quebecers
That’s not all. Tennis Canada’s 2022 MVP was a centerpiece of September’s Team World’s Laver Cup win, and most importantly, Canada’s first-ever Davis Cup triumph some two months later.
During the ATP season he achieved a total of 60 individual wins. Rivals defeated in all competitions include Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev and current world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz whom he has defeated twice.
“What he has achieved is immense and will forever go down in Quebec history. He enabled Canada to become the world’s best tennis country by winning the Davis Cup, which we never thought possible,” recalled Jean-Nicolas Blanchet, current Assistant Information Director at Log.
“He climbed the world rankings and won seven tournaments [incluant les trois en équipe] and above all, he is praised around the world for his human qualities, he added. He is an unparalleled role model for Quebecers, who draw inspiration from him for his resilience, ability to deal with pressure and stamina.
The business card of Quebec sports
Félix Auger-Aliassime’s rise to tennis’s greatest heights is also a breath of fresh air in these times marked by dismal inflation, the war in Ukraine and other depressing news.
“It inspires a sense of pride and positivity that we all need a little bit of!” said Ariane Caron-Lacoste, assistant to the CASA and Zeste notebooks and editor of Les éditions du Journal.
Because whoever was a finalist for the ATP Best Sportsmanship Award gives the public reasons to appreciate them. His achievements combined with his enthusiasm, smile and generosity make him the calling card of local sports and more. In this context, suffice it to recall the contribution of his foundation, which supports the education of children in Togo, the native country of his father Sam.
“It’s the Quebecer who has the most impact on the sports scene abroad. Sometimes we are not aware of the extent of his achievements, but no Quebecer has ever performed so well in tennis. […] Quebec also has reason to be proud of his commitment outside of the court: he is a gentleman respected by all and he continues to grow his foundation in Togo,” said Marianne White, deputy director of information at the Journal of Quebec.
Well, as Auger-Aliassime assured last month, his expectations in 2023 will be in line with his level as a top athlete on the international stage.
“Next year I have no limits. […] However, the next goals are to win Masters 1000 and Grand Slam titles,” he recently told the Journal.