Felix Auger-Aliassime has enjoyed one of the most successful periods of his tennis career in the last few months on the ATP Tour.
The Canadian, undoubtedly one of the most talented players on Tour, had slipped down the rankings after reaching world number six in 2021.
In fact, the 25-year-old fell as low as 30 in the world in May 2025.
Since then, he has climbed back up the rankings, following a period of strong form across the North American and Asian swings.
Most recently, the Canadian reached the Paris Masters final before losing to Jannik Sinner in straight sets – putting the Canadian in pole position to qualify for the ATP Tour Finals.
However, Auger-Aliassime has since made a decision that could jeopardise his chances of competing in Turin, Italy.
Felix Auger-Aliassime withdraws from the Metz Open
As reported by Sky Sports Italy, Felix Auger-Aliassime has withdrawn from the Metz Open – opening the door for Lorenzo Musetti to capitalise.
If the Canadian had won the Paris Masters, he would have qualified for the ATP Finals.
However, with his loss in the final, the Canadian has left his ATP Finals qualification hopes in the hands of another player.
The Canadian, who does not believe there is a ‘huge gap’ between himself and Jannik Sinner, could now see his chances of qualifying for the ATP Finals go up in smoke.
The Canadian is currently eighth in the race, on 3,845 points. He is 160 points ahead of Lorenzo Musetti, who is on 3,685 points.
Therefore, Musetti’s performance at the Athens Open 250 will decide who claims the final qualification spot.
Simply put, Musetti must win the Athens Open if he wishes to qualify. If he does not, Auger-Aliassime will qualify.
There is a historical element to this matter that must also be considered: Musetti has not won an ATP Tour title since 2022.
Lorenzo Musetti’s Athens Open draw
Lorenzo Musetti, the second seed in Athens, will begin his campaign against either Botic van de Zandschulp or three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka, who received a wildcard.
From there, Musetti could meet fifth seed Alexandre Muller, before facing third seed Luciano Darderi in the semi-final.
These are all extremely winnable matches for Musetti, who has proven his worth on hard courts during the Asian swing.
However, in the final, he will likely face top seed Novak Djokovic – perhaps the greatest hard-court player in tennis history.
If Musetti were to win the title, it would be a remarkable achievement considering his three-year title drought.
Since winning the Naples Open in 2022, the Italian has lost five ATP Tour finals, most recently at the 2025 Chengdu Open.
