Exclusive: “A dream come true” – Aziz Dougaz paves his own road from Tunisia to the Australian Open main draw
On Sunday, the 27-year-old left-hander will become only the second Tunisian male to play a Grand Slam singles main draw match
Aziz Dougaz, Australian Open 2025
Image Credit: Australian Open
It’s hard for a player from a country with little or no tennis tradition to navigate his way into the upper echelons of professional tennis. No one knows this better perhaps than Aziz Dougaz, the Tunisian ranked No 230 in the world currently.
The 27-year-old achieved a lifelong dream this week by qualifying for the main draw at a Grand Slam event for the first time in his career. When Dougaz takes to the court on Sunday against Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka at the Australian Open, he will become only the second Tunisian male player (after Malek Jaziri) to play a Grand Slam singles main draw match. The road to Melbourne Park has been fraught up with challenges for the left-hander, who went to college in the United States before turning pro. And his guaranteed first round prize money cheque of AUD 132,000 – close to 20% of his overall career prize money to date – will be a big boost and relief.
We caught up with Dougaz from Melbourne to talk about his run through the qualifying draw, his upcoming first round match against Nishioka, his thoughts on making it to a Grand Slam main draw and the impact on his run back home in Tunisia among other things.
Talking about the week at the qualifying event, you won three tough matches, all three sets. What was the experience like and how difficult was it?
Aziz Dougaz: It was three tough matches, all in three sets, all against different opponents in terms of game style. And I’m really happy that I found a way to get through every match and overcome the difficult situations I was faced with in the match, so that was the key. I stayed mentally stable and I just waited for my chance or for the momentum to come back to me in each match. Of course, it’s also a dream come true to play a Grand Slam main draw. It was one of the goals this year that we set with my coach. So we’re super happy about that. I’m playing tomorrow, my first round so really focused on that. I really believe in my chances and I’m pumped to see what tomorrow is going to bring.
This would be your first Grand Slam main draw and you have come close to qualifying before. What does this mean to you personally in terms of getting into the Grand Slam main draw and playing at one of the biggest tournaments in the world?
Aziz Dougaz: I think this is my sixth Grand Slam playing in the qualifying draw. The closest I got was to the final round last year here in Australia. It’s a tournament I like a lot. I think the conditions suit me really well in terms of court speed and weather. So I’ve liked it since the first time I played here last year. And it means so much for me to qualify for my first main draw. I think for every player the first time is a big achievement. And of course, for a player like me as well, I did not have the most, let’s say, paved road to make it to this level as other players do in these kind of tournaments. It was my own road. It was my own career with a lot of difficulties and a lot of uncertainty. So it means a lot. It also shows that the work I’ve been doing with my coach and the team around me has been good. And it gives us confidence to keep pushing and achieve the goals we have.
What has been the reaction back home from your family, your friends and the general public back in Tunisia?
Aziz Dougaz: Honestly, I am trying to stay quite disconnected from that because it’s really tough to do that while staying in the tournament. Obviously, I have stayed in contact with my close family members and my close friends that I speak to regularly during the whole year.
But I’ve got so many messages, so many posts, so many people reaching out, congratulating me, saying they’re proud for me that I’m representing Tunisia. And I’ve received so much love and support that I haven’t really had time to answer all those messages. But for sure, it means a lot for me to know that so many people from my country are behind me. And I’m going to try to keep pushing and keep showing that it is not impossible if you are Tunisian.
Your first round match at the Australian Open is against the Japanese player, Yoshihito Nishioka, ranked No 63 in the world. This is the first time you will be playing against him, Your thoughts on that match?
Aziz Dougaz: Yes, this is our first match and I am playing another left-hander, so always kind of special for both players. I think we don’t get to play too many lefties. I’ve usually always liked playing against left-handed players. I’m hoping his game is going to suit me well. But obviously, he’s a really good player. He’s been, I think, top 50, top 40 in the world for a long time. So obviously, a really experienced player, really good player. But I really believe in my chances and my weapons that I can win this match.
You have spoken in the past about the difficulty in getting sponsorships for yourself. The first round prize money at the Australian Open is AUD 132,000. Does that ease off some of your financial pressures for the rest of the season?
Aziz Dougaz: 100 percent. It’s a huge, huge boost for me, for my season. I think a cheque like this allows you to plan your year and be more free in terms of decision making, in terms of tournaments. It’s definitely a key part of the financial situation. As of now, obviously, I don’t know what’s going to happen. I’m hoping to go a little bit more further in the draw. And I hope also that the run I have had this week is going to attract sponsors and companies in Tunisia or in the Arab region to invest in me, which is not the case as of now. I have zero sponsors currently. The only help I’m getting is from my management company and agency and my federation that does help me. I’m hoping it’s going to attract also more eyes on tennis, make people realize how thin the margins are in this sport and how much of an impact would financial support mean in terms of making decision in terms of tournaments, of competition easier and investing in your career. So, for sure, I’m super happy about the financial aspects also and am looking forward to the opportunities it’s going to bring.
Final question. You mentioned that qualifying for a Grand Slam main draw was one of the goals you had set for the new season. What are the other goals you have set out for yourself this year.
Aziz Dougaz: The goals we set with my coach at the beginning of the year was that we wanted to qualify for the main draw of one of the Grand Slams and the other was to finish the year in the top 150.
That was our goal to start the year. So we already ticked one, but the second one is going to be really, really tough, but it is a realistic goal. And it’s going to require a lot of consistency, a lot of patience because I won’t be able to do it after one good week. I have to be consistent and show that I can keep a high level of performance throughout the season.
