Felix Auger-Aliassime and Jack Draper share “not the warmest handshake” during their first match after Cincinnati Masters controversy
Jack Draper and Felix Auger-Aliassime met each other for the first time ever since their infamous controversy at the Cincinnati Masters.
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Jack Draper and Felix Auger-Aliassime exchange handshake at net after Davis Cup mach (Image via TSN)
Felix Auger-Aliassime and Jack Draper met each other on the tennis court for the first time since their infamous controversy at the Cincinnati Masters and a cold handshake followed. As Canada and Britain took on each other at the Davis Cup Finals on Sunday, Auger-Aliassime and US Open semifinalist Draper locked horns.
The Canadian got the best out of his opponent this time around as Auger-Aliassime beat Draper 7-6 (8), 7-5 to knock Britain out of the tournament. Last year’s quarterfinalist, the Leon Smith-led team came to this year’s Davis Cup Finals with high hopes but a shaky start meant they needed to win all three matches against Canada.
It did not happen as Denis Shapovalov beat Dan Evans upfront and in the second match, Auger-Aliassime took out Draper. After hitting the ace for a match winner, the two players came close to the net and shook hands. However, there was a clear lack of warmth as pointed out by the commentators who said “not the warmest handshake at the net”.
The reason for the ‘cold handshake’ has its origin at this year’s Cincinnati Masters. On match point, Draper attempted a serve-and-volley but mishit the ball, which bounced on his side before clipping the net and landing in Auger-Aliassime’s court.
Despite commentators noticing, the chair umpire ruled it a fair shot, sparking reactions from the tennis community, including ATP players like Denis Shapovalov. Many believe Draper should have conceded the point for fairness.
Jack Draper smashes racket in frustration during match against Felix Auger-Aliassime
As Jack Draper took on Felix Auger-Aliassime knowing that he could do nothing to make his team qualify for the quarterfinals, there was frustration all around. Nevertheless, Draper out his A game, hitting strong and big forehands while also defending everything thrown at him.
Resultantly, the first set of the match went to a tiebreaker but Auger-Aliassime was in no mood to let that slip from his hand as the Canadian won it 10-8. This led to further frustration for Draper who vented it out on his racket.
The second set also began with a flurry of shots and both players engaged in high-intensity long rallies. Eventually, it was a win in straight sets for Auger-Aliassime and a top finish for Canada in their group stage.
High level, high intensity. Gave our best for ourselves and our countries. We had already qualified but Jack and I are trying our best to win and give it our best. I think we were both quite tired.Felox Auger-Aliassime said after the win against Jack Draper. (H/T: Davis Cup)
With this win, Canada qualified for the Finals in Malaga while Great Britain failed to replicate their showing from last year. The Leon Smith-led team finished third in the group with one win and two losses and with a win-loss record of 4-5.
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Ritesh Pathak
(2150 Articles Published)