Felix Auger-Aliassime, a seeded player at Wimbledon and former quarter-finalist, found himself at the centre of a rare controversy involving an 'illegal shot' during a match against British favourite Jack Draper. The incident occurred at the Cincinnati Open in August 2024, when Draper secured a match point at 5-4 in the third set with a shot that Auger-Aliassime claimed had bounced twice before crossing the net.
Draper Admits to Illegal Shot
Draper later conceded that the shot was indeed illegal, but maintained he was unaware at the moment. 'It was difficult for four or five days afterwards - it was the first time I've experienced criticism and [had] my integrity questioned as an athlete,' Draper told BBC Sport. 'For me it's one of the most important things to be honest, do the right thing, be a good person - more than just a good tennis player.'
Auger-Aliassime initially refused to concede defeat, arguing with the umpire. 'You're gonna get out now, and then it's going to be everywhere. It's going to look ridiculous. It's going to be crazy,' he said. The Canadian later addressed the controversy on Instagram, writing: 'Unfortunate ending of my tournament here in Cincinnati but I hope we find a way to deal with these situations in a more objective way going forward.'
Impact on Players and Wimbledon Context
Draper praised Auger-Aliassime's handling of the situation. 'I thought he handled it with great maturity and complete class,' the 24-year-old said. 'It would have been easy for him to fly off the hook and feel extremely hard done by, which he was at the end of the day, looking back at the slo-mo - it was an illegal shot in a big point in the match, obviously being match point. I know my truth and that's that in that situation, I really did not know in that moment what had happened.'
Auger-Aliassime, seeded third at Wimbledon this year, has advanced to the third round after straight-set wins. He faces American qualifier Michael Zheng on Centre Court, who stunned Cam Norrie in a five-set epic. With Carlos Alcaraz absent and Jannik Sinner struggling, Auger-Aliassime sees this as a prime opportunity to reach his first Grand Slam final. He has previously reached the quarter-finals or beyond in all four majors, including a quarter-final loss to Matteo Berrettini at Wimbledon in 2021.
