Felix Auger-Aliassime has enjoyed a brilliant second half of the campaign and after reaching the last four at the ATP Finals, he will finish the year as the world number five.
Auger-Aliassime was praised by Carlos Alcaraz after losing to him at the semifinal stage of the tournament, with the Spaniard setting up yet another final against Jannik Sinner in Turin.
Auger-Aliassime extended his number of wins this year to contribute to his run to the last four, and he’s very much one of the form players on the ATP Tour.
This is the final tournament for a lot of players, and after losing to Alcaraz, Auger-Aliassime was asked about the Davis Cup and his future participation in the event.
What Felix Auger-Aliassime has said about the Davis Cup
The tournament and its prestige and its place on the tennis calendar are proving a bit of a hot topic, with Carlos Alcaraz speaking on the Davis Cup earlier this week.
Auger-Aliassime has now been asked about the tournament, with Canada going out to Hungary all the way back in February, with the world number five choosing not to play.
It would appear that he thinks the ITF need a rethink on the tournament and believes it’s lost some of the clout that it used to have in recent years.
He said in his press conference: “Two things: Yeah, I’ve had success in the past. It’s always a privilege to play for my country. Many times I have to protect my health. I was injured or not healthy enough to play Davis Cup.
“On the other hand, all I know is that to do something special, it needs to be rare. To do something special, it needs to be rare. Olympics, World Cup, it’s every four years. If you have something every year, it’s not going to be as special. That’s it.”
ITF should have Davis Cup rethink
Jannik Sinner grabbed headlines earlier this year by choosing not to play in the Davis Cup, despite the finals being held in Italy.
However, it does make sense for him to withdraw, with the Davis Cup happening every year and Sinner leading Italy to glory during the last two years.
Some of the shine does come off the event when it takes place every year and that is perhaps why so many top players choose not to take part.
As Auger-Aliassime says, if the tournament were bi-annual for example, it would carry more prestige when it did come around, and as a result, the top players would be more likely to make room for it on their schedule.
With top players like Alcaraz and Auger-Aliassime choosing to vent their frustrations with how the Davis Cup currently operates, perhaps it’s now time for the ITF to seriously look at things for the greater good of the event.
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