Félix Auger-Aliassime has shown that he is still not entirely over his controversial loss to Jack Draper at the Cincinnati Open. In a recent ATP segment, his reaction immediately brought back memories of that infamous match point, proving the incident still sticks with him even now.
Why Is Félix Auger-Aliassime Still Upset With Jack Draper?
The roots of Auger-Aliassime’s recent jab at Jack Draper go back to their heated 2024 Cincinnati Open match. Draper beat Auger-Aliassime 5–7, 6–4, 6–4, but the match ended on a disputed point that became one of the biggest talked-about things of the year.
On match point, Draper hit a volley at the net, but replays showed the ball double-bounced on his side before he hit it over. The chair umpire, Greg Allensworth, didn’t notice the double bounce and gave Draper the point, ending the match.
Auger-Aliassime was shocked and questioned the umpire, “Did you not see the ball bounce on the floor? He shanked it on the floor. What do you mean?” However, Draper said that he was looking at the Canadian and wasn’t focused on the ball.
Auger-Aliassime further agitatedly said to the umpire, “It’s going to look ridiculous. It’s gonna be crazy. And I know it’s not his place to make that call, it’s a match win for him, but it’s your place to make that call.” He even asked for the supervisor, but nothing changed.
Afterward, Draper said he had “no idea” what happened in real time and would have replayed the point if video review existed. Auger-Aliassime left the court with a feeling he didn’t get a fair ending to the match.
Now, a year later, during the recent ATP’s fun holiday segment where players label each other as “naughty” or “nice” with donuts, Auger-Aliassime didn’t hesitate to put Draper in the “naughty” group. With a grin, he said, “He’s on the naughty list. Well, I think the tennis fans know why.”
It is clear that the Canadian may be past the moment, but he definitely hasn’t forgotten it.
How Did the Tennis World React to the Controversy?
Apart from upsetting Auger-Aliassime, the Cincinnati controversy triggered criticism from some of the biggest names of tennis.
Allensworth already had a bad reputation among the ATP stars. French tennis star Corentin Moutet wrote on X, “This umpire again omg 😂@atptour??? What do you need more.” Sloane Stephens also questioned the umpire’s credibility and asked, “What consequences does the chair umpire face? This is 2 incidents in 2 tournaments for the same umpire.”
Novak Djokovic called the situation “embarrassing” for tennis. He argued that while viewers get to see what happened on TV, the players are kept in the “dark” even in the “technologically advanced 21st century.”
“What’s even more ridiculous is that we don’t have the rule in place that would allow chair umpires to change the original call based on the video review that happens off the court!” he wrote on X.
Nick Kyrgios, on the other hand, felt that Draper should have been more responsible for the shot. He wrote, “Mate, Horrible call, but every player knows you know exactly where you hit it hahaha ridiculous stuff.” Andy Roddick also shared similar sentiments.
Draper later spoke to The Guardian about the incident and praised Auger-Aliassime for staying calm throughout the situation, admitting he wasn’t sure how he would have reacted if the roles were reversed.
“To obviously see that stuff, and see people talking about you for the first time in a negative way – and questioning your integrity and stuff like that – it’s obviously difficult to see,” Draper said. However, he didn’t blame the fans.
“Obviously, on the slow-mo, when you watch it from the side, it’s very clear it’s an illegal shot. There’s no doubt about that. But when you’re in the moment and you serve out wide and the guy’s hit a 95mph ball at your feet, you just put a racket down and I didn’t know what happened. I looked at the umpire straight away,” he confessed.
Despite the backlash and demands for change, tennis still lacks a consistent video-review system for double bounces or close judgment calls, and its use varies from event to event. A few tournaments have experimented with replay options, but the ATP has yet to implement it as a standardized system for all.
