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Andy Roddick hints Djokovic may have tipped off Felix Auger-Aliassime

Originally posted on HITC | By George Patten | Last updated Nov 12, 2025 8:47 AM ET

Novak Djokovic found himself at the centre of the fight for the final ATP Finals spot.

Felix Auger-Aliassime was in control of his own destiny, needing just a couple of wins at the Moselle Open in Metz to lock in his place. But he chose to pull out, putting his hopes in Musetti’s hands.

Lorenzo Musetti was the only man who could catch him, and it required nothing less than a title run at the Hellenic Championship in Greece.

In a twist, both players ended up qualifying anyway. Djokovic beat Musetti in Athens but then withdrew from Turin, opening up an extra spot.

It was a situation where all eyes were on Djokovic’s decisions and how they might shape the final lineup. Andy Roddick even speculated on what kind of conversation might have happened between Djokovic and Auger-Aliassime before play got underway in Athens.

Roddick suggests Felix Auger-Aliassime may have known Novak Djokovic was planning to pull out

Speaking on the latest episode of ‘Served with Andy Roddick’, the former world No. 1 weighed in on the situation involving Djokovic, Musetti, and Auger-Aliassime.

“He’s not going to say publicly that he’s pulling out of Turin and then play Athens, because people are going to go ‘That’s B———’,” Roddick said.

“He wins Athens, and then tells Musetti [that he’s withdrawing from ATP Finals], they’re like ‘Well, they moved the schedule for you’.

Photo by Foto Olimpik/NurPhoto via Getty Images

“Sounds like a them-problem, sounds like they shouldn’t be starting a day after the ATP Finals.

“My guess is that if I’m him and this is pure speculation, I know that if I‘m pulling out, that FAA [Felix Auger-Aliassime] is definitely in. I’m guessing that FAA might have had a hint that he was good to go if Novak knew anywhere along the lines.

“They will never admit it.“But this is complete conspiracy.” The Canadian appeared to play it safe by skipping Metz, confident his place at the Finals was secure regardless of Musetti’s results in Greece.

Meanwhile, journalist Jon Wertheim shared his view on how Djokovic’s uncertain status affected perceptions of the tournament.

The bigger issue here was just kind of this cloud over everything about whether or not he’d show up,” Wertheim said.

Felix Auger-Aliassime and Lorenzo Musetti started their ATP Finals campaigns with defeats

After the first round of matches, Auger-Aliassime and Musetti sat at the bottom of their respective ATP Finals groups.

Musetti fell to Taylor Fritz, while Auger-Aliassime lost to Jannik Sinner, leaving both with work to do if they’re going to reach the semifinals.

If they’re going to turn things around, they’ll likely need a win in their next match in Turin. Both players will have a chance to move up into third place with a victory on matchday two.

With Musetti taking on Alex de Minaur and Auger-Aliassime facing Ben Shelton, both will be looking at these matches as good chances to get back on track.

So far, only one of the four players outside the qualification spots has recorded a win at the ATP Finals in their careers, but that’s set to change soon.

Musetti vs. De Minaur is scheduled for Tuesday, November 11th. One of them will earn their first career win at the event.

Shelton then gets his opportunity on Wednesday against Auger-Aliassime as he looks for his maiden ATP Finals victory.

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

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