Felix Auger-Aliassime and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina delivered a gripping contest on Court 1 yesterday. In a five-set showdown, the Canadian star edged past his Spanish rival in a tense thriller to seal a place in the quarters. However, the battle ended on a bitter note for the world No. 3, as his opponent’s medical timeout just before he stepped up to serve for the match had heated up the post-match situation. 

“The interactions between him and I, I don’t want to get into that. If he wants to come in here and talk about it, he can. But he knows my opinion,” Auger-Aliassime said in his post-match press conference. “What I can say is that I think the rule has to change. I think that obviously, as long as the rule is like that, a player will use it to their advantage.”

“If the physio helps you recover, you play your service game. If you’re hurt bad, then you retire. But to stop in the middle of an opponent’s service game and to be able to call the physio, I think that’s a disgrace of a rule. I don’t see any other sport where you can do that. I mark my words. It’s a disgrace of a rule,” the Canadian explained. 

The on-court controversy began late in the fourth set, when the 27-year-old Spaniard rolled his ankle at a critical stage of the match. At that point, the third-seed was closing in on victory and was just one strong push away from sealing the match. That’s when the Spaniard called for a medical timeout.

The stoppage came while the Canadian was serving for the match, trailing 15-40 (5-4). But once the play resumed, the Fokina looked re-energized and raised his level quickly. The current world No. 23 mounted an impressive comeback from that position and managed to drag the contest into a deciding last set.

As per rules, a medical timeout is a formal stoppage of play which can only be granted when the physio determines that extra time is needed to deal with a physical issue of the on-court player.

That was not the first time he had needed treatment on the same ankle, either. The Spanish ace had also received attention during the third-set tie-break, which added another layer to the post-match tension.

And after the match ended, the tension did not disappear between the two. When the two players met at the net for the handshake, both ATP aces were involved in a heated exchange.

The disagreement carried on even after that moment as well. Davidovich Fokina later approached Auger-Aliassime again while the Spaniard was making their way off the court, and the heated argument seemingly continued there too.

Tennis players are allowed only one medical timeout per injury, and the final call on whether the condition qualifies does not rest with the player but with the medical staff of the tournament.

And while Auger-Aliassime has now moved into the quarters after a 6-7(4), 7-6(6), 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-1 win, an even tougher test now awaits the Canadian.

Felix Auger-Aliassime to face Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinal

With that win against the Spaniard, Auger-Aliassime also improved his record over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in their H2H battle, where the Canadian now leads the Spaniard 4-1. The 25-year-old’s only defeat against the Spaniard came in the second round of the AO last year.

But following an impressive victory, Auger-Aliassime awaits an even bigger test in the quarters of SW19. Standing between him and a first-ever semifinal appearance is the Serbian GOAT, Novak Djokovic.

Nole had booked his own place in the last eight earlier yesterday with a win over Roman Safiullin. It was his 106th career victory at SW19, helping him move past the Swiss great Roger Federer for the most SW19 match wins by any ATP player.

As for the H2H between Novak and Auger-Aliassime, it is currently tied at 1-1. And asked in court about his next opponent, the Canadian responded in a light-hearted mood. “I heard it’s a Serbian player, not so bad. I don’t know much of him, but I’ll try to watch some videos and get ready!” he added jokingly.

With a blockbuster quarterfinal now on the horizon, all eyes will be on whether Auger-Aliassime can rise to the occasion. Or will the 24-time Grand Slam champion once again prove too much on the Wimbledon grass?