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Felix Auger-Aliassime Slams Tennis Players Complaining About Schedule

Felix Auger-Aliassime ripped players who are complaining about the length of schedule.
Pat Benson|
Felix Auger-Aliassime defeated Alexander Zverev in the 2025 ATP Finals.
Felix Auger-Aliassime defeated Alexander Zverev in the 2025 ATP Finals. | IMAGO / NurPhoto

On Friday night, Felix Auger-Aliassime defeated Alexander Zverev in the last match of the group stage of the 2025 ATP Finals: 6-4, 7-6 (4). Auger-Aliassime's victory extinguished Zverev's disappointing season and propelled the eighth-seed into the semifinals.

Auger-Aliassime has been on fire over the final few months, making it all the way to the Rolex Paris Masters final, where he came up short against Jannik Sinner.

However, Auger-Aliassime's game is not the only thing on fire. The usually calm Canadian star lit up players complaining about the length of the tennis schedule.

"I think they lost perspective completely."

"I don't know how guys don't enjoy it, to be honest. I think they lost perspective completely. I get that you can get tired. I'm tired, too. I do trips around and I go see different circumstances around the world. I mean, we're just lucky and blessed," said Auger-Aliassime.

He concluded, "In my humble opinion, every day I wake up and I enjoy. I enjoy that I'm here. Even if I lose matches, it's okay, I'm p****d for a day. I don't know. If you want to play less tournaments, stay home. Nobody's forcing you to be here."

Auger-Aliassime's comments come in response to a growing debate within the ATP and WTA players campaigning for a shorter schedule. Auger-Aliassime is more closely aligned with Novak Djokovic and Qinwen Zheng's sentiment. Meanwhile, Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz are among the most notable players calling for a shorter schedule.

2025 ATP Finals

While Auger-Aliassime's confidence is at an all-time high, he realizes the daunting task of facing Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinal later today. "This is a high-value tournament for players," Auger-Aliassime said.

"It's like a grand finale, and when you have a look at the list of champions, there have been many No. 1s. If you want to be in the finals to be in that position to fight for the title, so yeah, I'm going to have to go through a great player to do that… I'm going to take my chance if I have it."

Alcaraz has a 4-3 lead over Auger-Aliassime in head-to-head matches. Earlier this week, Sinner defeated Auger-Aliassime in the first match of round-robin group play at the 2025 ATP Finals. Since then, Auger-Aliassime has been on fire.

The 2025 Nitto ATP Finals runs through Sunday, November 16. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's Serve On SI for all of your tennis news from the court and beyond.

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Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers professional tennis for Serve on Sports Illustrated, reporting on ATP and WTA events worldwide. From Challenger tournaments to Grand Slams, he brings readers in-depth coverage, daily recaps, and exclusive interviews with some of the biggest names in the sport. With a decade of experience in sports journalism, Pat is recognized as a trusted voice in tennis media. You can contact him at 1989patbenson@gmail.com.

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