Laver Cup star speaks out on ‘very weird’ row with opponent after ugly scenes

Felix Auger-Aliassime has explained a ‘weird’ argument between him and Gael Monfils at the Laver Cup. The pair’s match became heated when Auger-Aliassime grew frustrated over Monfils supposedly not taking the encounter ‘seriously’. 

Auger-Aliassime feels that the Laver Cup has the potential to be taken seriously. The Canadian was therefore angered by Monfils’ approach to their singles match, which the former won comfortably on Saturday morning. 

A 6-4 6-3 victory was not enough to make Auger-Aliassime happy, with the 23-year-old seen in a heated confrontation with Monfils. The Frenchman also seemed annoyed by his opponent’s behaviour. 

The tension seemed to last for a few games. However, Auger-Aliassime has explained that he was angered by Monfils’ approach to the Laver Cup, saying that he wants the tournament to be taken seriously. 

He accused Monfils of taking too long on his serve and felt that the referee was not applying the rules properly. 

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“Things got a little bit, yeah, heated in the moment, a bit of tension,” Auger-Aliassime reflected. “I was just kind of talking to the referees, talking to him about what rules he was applying, I guess, between the rules we’re used to in tournaments or different rules. 

“Because I came in thinking I have played this tournament and I think everybody involved, not just myself, we all believed that Laver Cup is a tournament that I think has the potential to be taken very seriously, not just now but also in the future, so we’re taking this seriously.

“Things got a bit heated for a couple of games, but I’m happy that we were able to finish the match. Gael is somebody I appreciate, so there is no tension outside of what just happened in the few games there.”

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He added: “That was it for me. Just trying to stand up for myself. Then, I don’t know, it escalated quite quickly for some reason. For somebody that followed my career for a while, I’m rarely in these situations. I think with any player I have good relationships with. It was very weird, in a way.

“I think [it’s] okay for me to step up for myself and be like, ‘Look, I’m here to compete, and I’m not going to let my opponent kill the time and try to, you know, kill the rhythm on my serve’.”

Monfils had angrily told his team-mates that he was there to ‘have fun’. “If I don’t want to play a tournament then I don’t play it. They told me I can be free,” he continued. 

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