World number four Felix Auger-Aliassime has called for Wimbledon to scrap a medical timeout rule he branded a 'disgrace' after his opponent Alejandro Davidovich Fokina used it during a crucial moment in their last-16 match. The Canadian star was leading by two sets to one and serving for the match when the Spaniard called for a medical timeout for his ankle. Despite receiving treatment, Davidovich Fokina showed no signs of injury upon resuming play, immediately breaking Auger-Aliassime to force a decisive fifth set. Auger-Aliassime regained his composure to dominate the fifth set and advance to the quarter-finals, but the incident left him visibly frustrated.
Auger-Aliassime's Post-Match Outburst
In his post-match press conference, an animated Auger-Aliassime accused Davidovich Fokina of exploiting what he called a 'disgrace of a rule'. 'The interactions between him and I, I don't want to get into that,' he said. 'If he wants to come in here and talk about it, he can. But he knows my opinion. That's one of these things that I have differences with people in my life on tour. They know what I think. That's the most important.' He argued that the rule should be changed to prevent players from stopping an opponent's service game. 'I think that the [medical timeout] rule has to change. I think that, obviously, as long as the rule is like that, a player will use it to their advantage.'
Proposed Change to the Rule
Auger-Aliassime proposed a simple solution: if a player is hurt during an opponent's service game, they should forfeit every point until the physio arrives, and only then can they receive treatment. 'If the physio helps you recover, you play your service game. If you're hurt bad, then you retire, obviously,' he said. '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.'
Steve Johnson Echoes Criticism
Former American tennis star Steve Johnson also criticised the rule on the Nothing Major podcast, supporting Auger-Aliassime's stance. 'Felix has been playing great and he hadn't been broken in this tournament until that little kerfuffle late in the fourth set,' Johnson said. 'He was serving for the match, trying to close it out, and Fokina hurts his ankle or foot and limps off to get some treatment. He ices Felix pretty good and ultimately gets the break and wins the tie-breaker before Felix did what he needed to do.' Johnson agreed that the rule should be changed: 'I disagree with the rule as well, you should never take an injury timeout while your opponent is serving or while they are serving. You should always take it before your own serve.'
Impact on the Match
Johnson noted that Fokina did not break any rules, but the timing of the timeout looked bad. 'Fokina didn't break any rules and Felix wasn't targeting him but it didn't look good because he comes out running and was fine and gets the break,' he said. Despite the disruption, Auger-Aliassime managed to calm down after losing the fourth set and closed out the match in the fifth. 'He was a little upset about the timeout, he was talking to his box but he was able to calm down after losing the fourth set. Obviously he wanted to win it in four but sometimes that's good for the confidence to close it out in the fifth,' Johnson added.
Wider Calls for Change
The incident has added to growing calls for Wimbledon to review its medical timeout policy. Earlier, former British number one Tim Henman urged the tournament to scrap the rule, saying it disrupts matches. Novak Djokovic also recently criticised a Wimbledon referee's decision during his match. The controversy highlights a persistent issue in tennis where players can use medical timeouts strategically to break an opponent's momentum.
