“You Shouldn't Be Afraid To Dream Big”

Canadian new sensation Gabriel Diallo refuses to set any limits to his career, at the same time as other players are wondering out loud if all of these sacrifices are really worth it.

Welcome back! In today’s edition, I’m bringing you some parts of my talks with Gabriel Diallo in Madrid throughout his adventure from qualifications to the quarter-finals. How he discovered red clay, and how he accepted not to put limits on his tennis ambitions. Also, leg sleeve and FAA as mentor.

I’m also musing about the notions of potential and sacrifices, with questions I asked Jack Draper and thoughts from Grigor Dimitrov and Casper Ruud, all of this triggered by the debate born out of the Carlos Alcaraz and Juan Carlos Ferrero friction point on the topic. What if rejecting the mandate of fulfilling one’s potential was sometimes the healthier choice? Is potential a gift or a curse? What is it even?

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GABRIEL DIALLO: “YOU SHOULDN’T BE AFRAID TO DREAM BIG”

Gabriel Diallo reached the quarter-finals in Madrid, a first for him at the Masters 1000 level. He started the tournament in the qualifications, losing to Borna Coric (6-3, 7-6(6)) in the last round, and then fate struck: Diallo got in as a lucky loser and ran with it. I’ve talked to him after most of his matches in Madrid for Radio Canada and really liked how he looks at his career. Diallo (University of Kentucky) shows again all the benefits players now find in getting on Tour from College tennis. When they land on the Tour, their tennis, but most importantly, their minds are ready to go. At 23, Diallo decided that the sky was the limit for him.

Here, I share a few moments and talks (done in French but translated here) that I found very telling about how the Canadian, born in Montreal from a Ukrainian mother and a father from Guinea, has been rising through the ranks and could really be a force to acknowledge on the Tour.