In Pictures: Felix Auger-Aliassime and girlfriend Nina Ghaibi have the time of their lives dancing and interacting with locals during trip to Togo
Felix Auger-Aliassime and his longtime girlfriend Nina Ghaibi recently wrapped a “special” trip to Togo. The couple shared their experience on social media and adored the “joyous” locals they spent time with.
Auger-Aliassime concluded his 2024 season at the Swiss Indoors Basel in October. The Canadian was the two-time defending champion at the event but suffered an early defeat to eventual champion Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard this time. He was expected to continue his campaign at the Paris Masters and the ongoing Davis Cup Finals but had to pull out of the events due to a back injury.
Overall, Felix Auger-Aliassime didn’t enjoy much success on court this year. His best result was reaching his maiden Masters 1000 final at the Madrid Open. He also won his first Olympic medal, a mixed-doubles bronze, at the 2024 Paris Olympics but fell one win short of clinching a medal in singles. The five-time tour-level titlist is set to kick off his 2025 campaign by representing his country at the United Cup.
To recharge and rejuvenate after a rollercoaster 2024 campaign, Auger-Aliassime and his girlfriend of almost six years, Nina Ghaibi, embarked on a journey to Togo, a country that holds a special place in the tennis player’s heart. Felix Auger-Aliassime’s father, Sam, a tennis instructor, was born in the African country and immigrated to Canada as a 25-year-old.
Auger-Aliassime and Ghaibi, an equestrian hailing from Croatia, previously visited the country in 2022. During their latest trip to Kara, Togo, the couple was captured interacting with locals and engaging in fun games. The former World No. 6 also took the court to play tennis with young hopefuls. In the memories shared by Ghaibi, he was seen participating in a traditional dance, with an "inspiring group" leading the way.
"Another Togo trip in the books filled with the most joyous, generous and inspiring groups of people I’ve witnessed," she wrote on Instagram.
Meanwhile, Felix Auger-Aliassime shared an emotional video message to shed light on their culture and the aspirational young generation. He also highlighted the present lack of opportunities in the country.
"Everything's in place, but there's no structure" - Felix Auger-Aliassime's father Sam on Togo and his initiative
In 2022, Felix Auger-Aliassime and his father, Sam, launched a sports initiative in Togo and Cote d’Ivoire with the view of inspiring younger generations and providing a structure so natives wouldn’t have to relocate to realize their dreams.
About their mission, Sam Aliassime said:
"One day, Felix and I were talking. A lot of players of African origin have been successful in the US, Canada and Europe. Why aren’t there any from the continent? So, I went to see what’s going on—and especially what’s not going on. Everything’s in place, but there’s no structure," he said in 2023, according to Tennis Canada.
The tennis instructor unveiled their plan to give opportunities to 1000 children to pursue their tennis dreams.
"We have to take the structure here (in Canada) and adapt it to African realities and then set goals for the next ten years," he said. "Starting in 2023, we’re going to try and give 1,000 African children between the ages of six and eight the opportunity to start playing tennis within a system to ensure their long-term progress."