(Toronto) Alexis Galarneau is less and less often in the same city as the rest of his family. Work requires. To remedy the situation, his family came to him in Toronto.
“Sometimes I have 122 unread messages on our Messenger group, because the grown-ups send nonsense to each other,” says Chantal Denis, the mother of the Galarneau clan, in the media lounge at Sobeys Stadium.
The big ones are his two eldest sons, Max-Olivier, 31 years old and real estate entrepreneur, and Félix, 30 years old, logistics manager. During the 20 minutes that the meeting lasted, the two brothers sent funny tips, as the brothers do, finally.
On the bench opposite, just to the left of her mother, sat Émilie-Anne, the only daughter of the siblings.
“I came straight from Asia, because I didn’t want to miss it knowing he had a pass,” says the 26-year-old actuary.
Ms. Denis mentioned it, “we’re really tight-knit and when we’re together, it’s really more fun”, but there was no need to point it out, it was so noticeable.
“Each time it feels a little more on vacation. We put everything on hold. Everyone misses the job to follow Alexis. Nobody is angry. Everyone is happy to be here,” says the clan leader of these family trips to follow Alexis.
In fact, it has always been the case, recalls the eldest of the group: “At 14, 15 years old, if you gave me the choice of going to see Alexis at the Canadian Championships at 12 years old or going to see the Canadian [of Montreal] and sitting by the bay window, I would have gone to see Alexis. »
“It’s fun, because we’re basically tennis fans,” says Félix. We played tennis when we were younger. We’re tripping! »
How can a mother who has raised four athletic children not put the only one who has made a career on a pedestal?
“We’ll take care of it, the rest of us,” Felix says without warning, before bursting into laughter. Suddenly, a harmony of grins filled the entire space of the room.
“It’s the running gag in the family”, specifies the mother, before Max-Olivier adds: “We fool her, we tell her that Alexis is the darling. Even him, we fool him with that too! »
In truth, there was never any favoritism. The key was “to have different connections with each of the children,” explains Émilie-Anne.
But ultimately, Alexis would have rejected the idea of being treated differently or more favorably, says Max-Olivier: “It’s part of his personality not to want all the attention. He doesn’t want to be special. He does not care. »
In Toronto, he will have the luxury of playing in front of his family, even if it is an environment he knows well. “We’ve been doing it long enough that it’s become a habit for him,” Felix said.
Nevertheless, avoiding talking about tennis remains, according to them, the best solution to reduce the additional nervousness. “You could watch every one of our one-on-one chats with Alexis and we never talk to him about tennis,” Max-Olivier said. I don’t think he’s tempted to talk about it. He talks about it all day. »
His sister is convinced that the 192nd player in the world “will be very stressed during his match” on Monday, for fear of disappointing the foursome. “We think a lot about him precisely, so as not to talk to him too much about it, so as not to stress him out. »
At 24, Galarneau has just broken into the top 200, thanks to his victory at the Granby tournament a few weeks ago.
However, the most impressive period of his career, Félix recalls, dates back to his beginnings, around the age of 8, when he started playing with his brothers.
Max-Oivier is unequivocal: “He was never pocket!” The first balls he hit were good. It was surprising. He was watching us play, alone, and at some point he came to play. »
This is probably why the first thing that was mentioned in his acceptance speech, in Granby, concerned his family.
“It brought tears to our eyes,” confirms his mother.
“I put on my sunglasses as soon as he won,” says Felix.
The greatest mark of love for them, she believes, is that Alexis “never takes for granted” their support or presence.
His sister was in Bali at the time of the triumph. “It was night in Asia, I was in Bali, and there had been delays, so I stayed at my computer. My boyfriend was telling me it was 4 a.m. and I needed to sleep, but I really wanted to listen to him. And he [Alexis] said it in his post-game interview that I must have watched it. »
When Alexis won in Granby, his whole family won. Those close to him are convinced of this, and it is not because they want to appropriate his success. Rather, it is because they know they have something to do with it.
And this, in all aspects of the life of each of the five members of the clan.
“When we say Team Galarneau, it’s not for nothing. Our mentality, when one of us wins, it’s like everyone wins. If my brother, says Max-Olivier looking at Félix, has a promotion at his job, I’ve won something, I’m as happy as him. »
In fact, “he works so hard and he makes so many sacrifices, which we have witnessed throughout our lives, that we want him to succeed as much as he does,” continues Émilie-Anne.
While brothers and sisters exchanged compliments, the mother, admiring and proud, looked at them with the feeling of having achieved something immense. Because the greatest accomplishments often come from the little things. Even if being the backbone of such a close-knit family is undoubtedly the greatest accomplishment a mother can dream of.
“For me, that was the most important thing. I always made sure that there was never a fight so that their relationship would never break. […] And I have never made a comparison between them. That they are the four so close together is my greatest achievement. And I think that will always stay. »
After 20 minutes of talking with the family, 500 kilometers from their native Laval, the conclusion was clear: the mother of Max-Olivier, Félix, Émilie-Anne and Alexis will be able to live the rest of her life with the feeling of accomplishment. .
