Wimbledon: Auger-Aliassime Outlasts Davidovich Fokina in 5 Sets, Slams Injury Rule

Auger-Aliassime defeats Davidovich

Wimbledon drama as Auger-Aliassime outlasts Davidovich Fokina in 5 sets. The Canadian hit out at the injury rule and now sets up a quarter-final with 7-time champ Djokovic.

Auger-Aliassime slams 'disgraceful' injury rule after 5-set Wimbledon win...

Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime criticized an injury rule on Sunday after advancing to the Wimbledon quarter-finals with a win over Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

  

The 25-year-old called it “a disgrace” after Davidovich Fokina took a medical time-out in the fourth set with an ankle injury - right as Auger-Aliassime was serving with two match points.

After play resumed, the Canadian was broken and the match went to a fifth set. He eventually closed it out 6-7 (4), 7-6 (6), 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-1.

There was a heated exchange between the two after the handshake. Auger-Aliassime didn’t reveal what was said, but he did turn his frustration toward the rules.

“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,” he said.

“What I can say, though, 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.

“I think that it's very simple: if you're hurt bad while the game's going on... in the middle of the game, the opponent is serving, the shot ‌clock is on, basically when you're hurt bad, you're forfeiting every point until you can call the physio.

“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.”

Auger-Aliassime is now set for a quarter-final clash with seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic.

“I can only say good things about Novak because, I think as a kid I didn't appreciate it as much, but now I'm a player, the load of work he's done over the years, I ⁠mean, I'm not even near ⁠any of that. Just ‌to think about it, it's crazy.”