Felix Auger-Aliassime has sparked controversy after recent comments he made at the ATP Finals.
After Auger-Aliassime defeated Alexander Zverev to finish second in his group and advance to the semifinals of the year-end tournament, he was asked about the criticism the ATP Tour had faced recently regarding its scheduling.
Several stars have complained about the packed tennis calendar, including world number one Carlos Alcaraz, who said the ATP are ‘killing’ players with workload.
British number one Jack Draper and Taylor Fritz agreed that changes need to be made to the tour to protect player health following Holger Rune’s Achilles injury at the Stockholm Open.
Auger Aliassime said in a press conference: “I don’t know how guys don’t enjoy it, to be honest. I think they lost perspective completely. I get that you can get tired. I’m tired, too. If you want to play less tournaments, stay home. Nobody’s forcing you to be here.”
His words have received backlash from many fans on social media, though some have applauded him, including Boris Becker.
Felix Auger-Aliassime receives criticism for his words in Turin
One fan took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to say: “I love Felix, but hard disagree. There is no other sport in the world where you are expected to play two to three hours each day and have zero recovery time. It’s absolutely no coincidence that there are so many shoulder and knee injuries and early retirements.”
Another fan argued: “I think Felix needs to accomplish a lot more before he starts telling guys like Carlos, who is pointing out things about the schedule, to stay home. Carlos has won three Masters and two slams this year. Felix has not done remotely close to that in his entire career.”
This user said: “Players aren’t saying they don’t enjoy the ATP tour. They’re saying they want to enjoy it more but are finding it hard to do that because the overpacked schedule is causing record withdrawals, injuries, and nobody wants two week Masters. Way to oversimplify the issues Felix.”
Another explained: “You shouldn’t have to skip any tournaments, that’s the point. If you’re an athlete, obviously, you want to compete and prepare for your best in all of the major tournaments. But how do you do that if the schedule is so packed?”
Six-time major champion Becker, on the other hand, supported Auger-Aliassime by stating: “Word Felix.”
Felix Auger-Aliassime’s campaign at the ATP Finals
Auger-Aliassime made his second appearance at the ATP Finals this year and put together an impressive campaign.
The Canadian’s tournament started with a defeat to Jannik Sinner in the round robin, but he bounced back by beating Ben Shelton in three sets.
Then, in a decisive match for a place in the semifinals, Auger-Aliassime came out on top against world number three Zverev to finish second in his group.
Ultimately, he exited the event after losing to Sinner once again in the final four, with the Italian taking a 4-2 lead in their head-to-head.
Auger-Aliassime finished the year by making his top-five debut following a fantastic 2025 season.
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