Felix Auger-Aliassime has recorded an impressive campaign at this year’s Paris Masters.
The Canadian, who kicked off his indoor hard-court season with a title in Brussels, earned two hard-fought victories at the start of his run in the French capital.
Auger-Aliassime won two lengthy three-setters against Francisco Comesana and Alexandre Muller before coming back from a set down again in the round of 16 to beat Daniel Altmaier.
He then ended Valentin Vacherot‘s streak at Masters events in the quarterfinals, dominating the Monegasque star 6-2, 6-2.
In the semifinals, Auger-Aliassime defeated an in-form Alexander Bublik before ultimately falling to Jannik Sinner in the final.
While the runner-up produced some of his best tennis of the year at the Paris Masters, tournament director Cedric Pioline revealed he had made a complaint to him about the event when he first arrived.
What Felix Auger-Aliassime said about the conditions in Paris
In a press conference ahead of the final, Pioline was asked about the court conditions this year.
The Frenchman said: “We wanted to have a slower court as opposed to last year. This was crystal clear.
“But I also find it interesting to highlight something. As usual, for every tournament, we had four semifinalists.
“Three of them expressed a comment either on the surface or on the balls. If they reached the semifinals in a Masters 1000, it’s already a performance per se.”
Pioline then revealed: “Felix [Auger-Aliassime] said the balls are c—. This is what he said during his first round.
“What I said afterwards was what about the balls? Maybe they’re not that bad, are they?
“I know how the players feel when they arrive in the new facility and venue, and they discover the new playing circumstances, but then making a comment about another comment is not constructive.
“But I know we have to sort out between the player discovering the conditions and making a comment without thinking about it, and something that is actually a well-founded comment. I think what we managed to establish is a good compromise for all playing styles.”
Cedric Pioline announces increase in attendance at the Paris Masters in 2025
The Paris Masters moved venue this year, relocating from the Accor Arena to La Defense Arena, which Pioline revealed has resulted in a big increase in attendance to the event.
He said: “We have an attendance of 220,000 spectators for this edition. We don’t have the precise figures, yes.
“In 2024, the figures were 176,000 spectators, so that’s a great leap forward, and we are very proud of this.
“We have had wonderful moments together. Once this has been said, we are fully aware that not everything is perfect.
“There is room for improvement. We will take into account all the feedback from all the stakeholders of this event.”
La Defense Arena is Europe’s largest indoor sports venue and holds a 17,500-seat centre court; the second largest court on the tour, trailing only the US Open’s Arthur Ashe Stadium.
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