Novak Djokovic has jumped to the defence of Canadian tennis star Felix Auger-Aliassime after a controversial missed call at the Cincinnati Open.
The 24-year-old fell in the third round to Britain’s Jack Draper in three sets. Still, the winning volley was steeped in controversy as Auger-Aliassime appeared to have hit a fantastic return that jammed up his opponent, with the ball hitting Draper’s racket and his side of the court before going back over the net.
That, however, was not the opinion of the chair ump, who gave the point and the match to Draper. An argument ensued between Auger-Aliassime and the ump, but without the ability to see a replay of the point, there was nothing more that could be done.
THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL MATCH POINT EVER!!!
WHAT JUST HAPPENED…? 😱#CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/cxU4H2A4Af
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 17, 2024
Plenty of other tennis players came to the Canadian’s defence, including fellow countrymen Dennis Shapovolov and Vasek Pospisil. Yet perhaps the most influential opinion was given by the world no. 2 Djokovic, who unloaded on the missed call on social media.
He called the entire situation “embarrassing” and that it was “ridiculous” that the chair ump couldn’t change his call based on off-court video reviews.
It’s embarrassing that we don’t have video replay of these kind of situations on the court. 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!… https://t.co/MQsmqpTmXK
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) August 17, 2024
The words of support from one of the best tennis players of all time hold quite a bit of weight, and the response received upwards of 35,000 likes and 3,500 reposts on X.
It’s a sour way for Auger-Aliassime’s run in Cincinnati to end. He was coming off a major upset of world No. 5 Casper Ruud in the second round and was looking to gain momentum after finishing fourth in the men’s singles Olympic tournament.
Having Djokovic’s support should help the Canadian feel justified in his protests, but it won’t undo his elimination. The two have played each other two times, with each player taking one win, a fact that must have earned the respect of the seasoned Djokovic.
This isn’t the first controversial moment to hit a prominent Canadian tennis player over the last few weeks. Shapovalov was ejected from a match at the Citi Open after a rift with a fan in the stadium.