Felix Auger-Aliassime’s Injustice in Cincinnati Angers Jannik Sinner’s Coach, Stefanos Tsitispas and Denis Shapovalov

How does it feel to lose a tournament based on a misunderstanding? Well, Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime would know now. While this incident kicked him out of the tournament, his colleagues came forward with their enormous support for the Canadian. Stating the misfortune of the skilled players, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Denis Shapovalov joined Jannik Sinner‘s coach to request a special feature for the upcoming tennis tournaments.

Draper defeated Aliassime today in the Round of 16 of Cincinnati. However, during the third set of their match, Aliassime hit a ball toward Draper, and despite the ball coming very low, it hit the court first before Draper hit it back with a volley. The chair umpire missed it because Draper’s racquet was also as low as the ground to make a fast return when the ball reached his court.

Unable to notice the error, the chair umpire awarded the point to the Briton. Despite Aliassime confronting the chair umpire, the latter remained firm on his decision and said, “I did not see that.” The umpire’s decision forced Aliassime’s exit from the tournament.

After the Canadian ATP star’s ill-fated day, many colleagues came forward to showcase his support for Aliassime. Tsitsipas shared a clip that perfectly showcased how the ball touched the court before Draper’s volley. “Oh my!“

Joining Tsitsipas’ was Shapovalov, who also dropped a clown and a circus tent emoji on his X page. While it is unclear whom Shapovalov referred to with his emojis, people could understand his sarcastic take on the matter. 

Sinner’s coach, Darren Cahill, also dropped his valuable opinion. Mentioning how the US Open committee is incorporating the VR system, he tweeted, “Video challenge system please. We have it. Use it. Nice to see the US Open implementing the VR system on 8 of its match courts.” 

Cahill, Tsitsipas, and Shapovalov’s comments highlight the despair of the tennis players due to the lack of advanced monitoring systems. Aliassime’s ball hit the court so fast before Draper’s volley that the umpire couldn’t notice it. If there was a VR system, this unfortunate incident could have been avoided, and Aliassime wouldn’t have to suffer. However, destiny had a different plan for the Canadian ATP star.

Aliassime’s case is not the first one of its kind. Before him, Coco Gauff lashed out at the chair umpire’s decision during her match against Iga Swiatek in the 2024 French Open. At that moment, many players brought up the topic of the VR monitoring system, stating how it would end all such discussions at once.

Coco Gauff lost her cool at the chair umpire in the Roland Garros

Like Aliassime, Gauff was also a victim of the umpire’s decision during her semifinal match against Swiatek. During their fourth game in the second set, Swiatek made a serve that was initially called out, but the umpire overruled it later. Gauff, who missed the return, said she hit the ball after the umpire’s line call was made.

“I didn’t even finish my follow through. He called it before I hit it. Can you ask him?,” she said. However, the umpire refused to accept that and said, “We cannot ask him.” Gauff, desperate to win, argued with the umpire, and even her fans started booing in the Philippe Chatrier. Nevertheless, Gauff had to exit the match as the umpire didn’t listen to her appeal.

Gauff’s case proved that a VR monitoring system is important during tennis matches. If such technology was used, Gauff and Aliassime could have their points verified properly. In fact, Tsitsipas, Cahill, and Shapovalov’s opinions made strong points in favor of VR monitoring. However, now that the US Open has mentioned incorporating this feature, people are expecting error-free judgment in tennis matches. Will such a day arrive?