Felix Auger Aliassime proud of honoring Arthur Ashe’s legacy at the 2021 US Open
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Felix Auger Aliassime
World No.15 Felix Auger-Aliassime has successfully booked his place into the quarterfinals of the 2021 US Open after beating America’s Frances Tiafoe in the fourth round.
In the process, the Canadian has also reached the final eight of a Grand Slam for the second consecutive time this year. Felix also made the quarterfinals of 2021 Wimbledon Championships, before going down to finalist Matteo Berrettini.
Interestingly, when he took on Tiafoe at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, the two players were also celebrating and honouring the late Arthur Ashe’s legacy. The American great was not only famous for his tennis skills, but also his heroics off the court.
Speaking to the ATP tour, Felix mentioned how he is a bit flattered in making a potential impact on the next generation. He even opined that he had to make plenty of sacrifices to get to a competitive level in tennis.
“I think that I am not yet fully aware of the impact that I may have. Sometimes, speaking with my family, and with my father who has an academy, I have concrete elements to understand this phenomenon. It’s really flattering, it’s really good to feel that even though I play for myself and try to achieve great things in sport, I also manage to have a positive influence on enthusiasts , fans , future champions. I think Frances and I can be proud of ourselves for treading this ground today. We have come a long way. It’s not as if the road is clear, you know, where it comes from, where I come from, it’s a lot of work, a lot of sacrifice ”
Felix proud of Leylah Fernandez
Before signing off, the 21-year-old also heaped praise on his countrywoman Leylah Annie Fernandez’s amazing run at the 2021 US Open. The 18-year-old Canadian raised many eyebrows after shocking defending champion Naomi Osaka, earlier in the competition.
Incidentally, it is the first time in the Open Era that a Canadian man and a woman have reached the final eight at the US Open in the same year.
“It’s amazing. Not only is she a great player, she has a great heart, she’s a great person. We had a good time at the [Tokyo] Olympics, Team Canada together, so I’m happy that a few weeks later we’re here again playing some good tennis and I’m really proud of her for what she’s done. Hopefully she’ll go really far.” Auger-Aliassime said. Felix will now take on another young sensation in Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals.
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Vivek Krishnan
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