Felix Auger Aliassime foregoes Davis Cup for charity

Canada’s Felix Auger Aliassime is set to miss the Davis Cup final round to focus on humanitarian work. The quarterfinal of the team-based competition will be organised in November where top players in the men’s tennis will represent their respective countries to secure the ultimate prize.

Canada are set to face Germany in the last-eight clash but they will have to do it without their star performer Auger Aliassime. The 24-year-old released a detailed statement where he claimed that he would not be able to take part in the event to do some humanitarian work.

"The season is very long and, as players, we're forced to make difficult choices between ATP tournaments, team competition, rest and training time as well as humanitarian work,” he said. "It has always been hugely important for me and my family to give back to others and I'm very proud of the support we have provided to educational initiatives in my father's home country, Togo. I plan on continuing that work this November and so, unfortunately, I have made the tough decision to miss the Davis Cup Final 8 in Malaga. I know Frank (Dancevic) and the team have what it takes to come back from Malaga with a second Davis Cup title."

The Montreal-born is going through a mixed campaign as he managed to win 28 out of 51 matches, suffering 23 defeats in the process. His best performance this season came in the Madrid Masters where he finished as the runner-up after losing Russia’s Andrey Rublev. Auger Aliassime also had an impressive outing in the Paris Olympics where he narrowly missed out on winning a medal for his country. He lost in the semifinal to Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets with a score of 6-1, 6-1. Later, in the bronze medal match, he ended up on the losing side to Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti with a score of 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.