(VIDEO) “Irrational fear? Pretty deep this morning”: Felix Auger-Aliassime laughs off unexpected question in Dubai

Felix Auger-Aliassime received a particular question from a ball kid while signing autographs at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, in which the Canadian — always eloquent — spoke about his “most irrational fear.”

The World No. 7 arrives in Dubai with good sensations from his most recent tournaments in Europe. Auger-Aliassime put together a streak of eight consecutive wins — during which he captured the title at the Open Occitanie and then fell in the final of the Rotterdam Open against Alex de Minaur.

The Canadian managed to rebuild his form after a doubtful start to the year — in which he was eliminated early from the Australian Open after retiring due to injury while facing Nuno Borges in the first round.

In Dubai, he will make his debut this Monday against World No. 319 Zhizhen Zhang, who entered the main draw with a protected ranking after nearly six months off the courts, while a potential second-round clash would pit him against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard — or wildcard Moez Echargui.

Beyond the high level of tennis Felix has brought over the last few months — which carried him back into the top five at the end of 2025 — the Canadian has always stood out for his openness when interacting with young fans and answering questions — both from the press and from supporters.

In a relaxed atmosphere, Auger-Aliassime was alongside Jack Draper signing autographs for the ball kids after their training sessions. The 25-year-old was surprised by a particular question. “What’s your most irrational fear?” one of the ball kids from the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships asked him.

“Irrational fear? Pretty deep this morning,” Auger-Aliassime commented with a laugh. “I like it, irrational fear,” he repeated while signing some balls and pausing to think about his answer.

“No, I mean, without getting too deep, like family stuff, I think — irrational because it probably would never happen — but anything in water, like sharks and stuff,” the Canadian said, still smiling. “You go in the ocean? Sometimes? You know when you see your feet and you don’t know what’s there? And you can’t see? That’s the worst!”

This week the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships will be played — an ATP 500 category tournament contested on outdoor hard courts — and where Auger-Aliassime finished as runner-up in 2025. On that occasion, Felix ended up falling in the final to the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets (3-6, 3-6).

This time, Felix will defend 150 points and for the moment drops one place in the ATP Ranking — being temporarily overtaken by Taylor Fritz — and only repeating last year’s result would allow him to remain as No. 7.

Auger-Aliassime is the first seed at a tournament that will present important challenges, with several hard-court specialists making a final stop before the start of the Sunshine Double at Indian Wells and the Miami Open.

Among the main names in the tournament are Alexander Bublik (No. 10), Daniil Medvedev (No. 11), Jakub Mensik (No. 13) and Jack Draper (No. 15).