The world No 7 on his teenage trip to west Africa, his fundraising efforts and finding his form ahead of the Australian Open
“Well, imagine you’re 13,” Félix Auger-Aliassime says, smiling. “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.
