It was an almost sports-philosophical debate that took place in Vancouver on Friday. The central theme is the idea of ​​knowing whether Wash cup, this exhibition tournament created by Roger Federer, which does not appear on the ATP calendar, is above all a fun competition or a very serious event. For the French Gaël Monfils, showmen among showmen, if the players are there to offer games, they are also there to have fun and entertain the audience. An opinion that Félix Augier-Aliassime obviously does not share, who was annoyed by Monf’s behavior during the Canadian’s two-set win (6:4, 6:3).

Auger-Aliassime was particularly critical of the fact that he briefly sat next to a linesman instead of preparing to receive the duty. After that game, with the score 3-2 for Auger-Aliassime, the two men explained themselves on the sidelines. “He sits for about 30 seconds. “It’s a violation of time,” the Canadian initially denounced the referee, who wanted the ATP rules to be applied. “I can play these little games too,” he added.

A debate between friends, nothing bad

“I don’t know what you’re playing,” the Canadian continued to Monfils, who is new to the Laver Cup, making it clear to him that the tournament’s custom is to play seriously. “Is it an ATP tournament or not? I don’t know what they told you. I was told: ‘You can do whatever you want,'” replied the Frenchman, who had just completed a week at the UTS, another exhibition tournament created by Patrick Mouratoglou, and for once puts fun and laughter at the heart of the concept. Note that the two men, who know each other well and like each other, did not get angry at the end and continued their debate arm in arm on the way to the locker room.

For those who don’t know, the Laver Cup is a type of Ryder Cup in tennis, where a European team competes against the rest of the world. No ATP points are distributed and the teams consist of current players qualified according to their ATP ranking, other players selected by the captains, but also tennis legends (this year Björn Borg and John McEnroe were invited). With all the respect we have for the Canadian player, we are still pretty close to a cool exhibition tournament.

Aymeric Le Gall