ITF

ITF World Summer 2021 09 Canada's conveyor belt of talent, which includes 2019 US Open winner Bianca Andreescu and world No. 10 Denis Shapovalov, appears unrelenting, while it is Auger- Aliassime's belief that this accomplished group is transcending the nation's core tennis fanbase and resonating within the country's homes and workplaces. "It's great to be a part of this group. In fact, it couldn't be better," said Auger-Aliassime, who has been a member of Tennis Canada's National Training Centre in Montreal since 2014. "It's really motivating and positive, not only for us but for every tennis fan in Canada. People are getting more and more interested in tennis and engaged with our sport and that is great to see. "It was great for me growing up in Canada. I had all the opportunities a kid could wish for and had everything I needed to develop myself into the player I am today. "There was a movement to have great players from the same generation and we now motivate each other positively and push each other to the highest level. "In that way, it gives hope to the next generation after us and I am glad to be part of that. We are already seeing the impact we are having, and I think it is only the beginning." Given he is only 20 himself, it is a little surprising perhaps that Auger-Aliassime mentions future generations in discussions on various, often unrelated, topics, but it is certainly not a token reference. It is something he profoundly believes in and is reflected in actions, not just words. At the beginning of the 2020 season, Auger- Aliassime launched #FAAPointsForChange to support the protection and education of children in Togo, from where his father, Sam, originates. Continuing the initiative into 2021 and in partnership with humanitarian organisation CARE, he donates $5 to the EduChange programme for every point he wins. Incidentally, BNP Paribas top this up and donate a further $15 for every point Auger-Aliassime chalks up. The EduChange initiative aims to give children from Togo – Kara, a region in the north of the country is the programme's initial focus – access to education, especially through sport, and protect them against violence. For Auger-Aliassime, this emphasis on charity work is no flash in the pan. He has grand plans and sees his sponsorship of EduChange as the beginning of a long-lasting humanitarian outlook. "This is an important part of not just my career but my life," added Auger-Aliassime. "To get a deeper sense, I want to achieve great things in my career for myself and my family. I want to make myself proud when I look back. I want to reach as high as I can and be able to say, 'I gave it my all and have no regrets'. "In my life also, I want to feel as though I have given back, that I was generous when I could be and that I gave kids in Togo – I am starting there but eventually it will be other places around the world – the same opportunities I had. "Those opportunities included growing up in a great family, being educated and playing sport at a very high level. The main goal is to give kids in Togo those same opportunities, or at least the minimum, because a lot of them are not getting that. "That is what I am trying to do and it is just the start of the project. But I would like to reach more kids in the future, in other countries, and then one day build my own foundation. "To have my own foundation is my ultimate goal and focus on projects, financed by myself, which are close to my heart." Le He reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final at Wimbledon this year

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