Felix Auger-Aliassime’s time at Melbourne Park came to an abrupt end as the Canadian, seeded No. 7 at the Australian Open, entered his seventh campaign. He had kicked off his season at the United Cup, where he suffered a brutal loss to Zizou Bergs. Hoping to surpass his best result of reaching the quarterfinals back in 2022, Felix arrived ready to reset. But things didn’t quite go as planned.

On Monday, Felix opened his campaign against Nuno Borges. After a strong start and a solid first set, the Canadian’s game fell apart as he dropped the next two and began to struggle physically. By the end of the third, he could barely move, calling for the physio before the fourth set. Determined to keep going, he tried to play on but managed just one point before retiring from his first-round battle.

The world No.46 moved into the second round with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, ret. scoreline while the crowd watched the unfortunate scene unfold in disbelief. Still, he couldn’t help but say a few kind words for Felix Auger-Aliassime.

“Honestly, it’s not that difficult for me, I just feel for him,” Borges said after the match. “I know how it feels to struggle physically, and it is part of tennis; it’s a really long schedule, it’s really hard to stay on top of our game, and physically it is very demanding, so I can totally understand. I hope he gets better quick and back to his best level.”

Felix Auger-Aliassime brought his best energy to the Australian Open, but luck wasn’t entirely on his side. It’s not the first time illness has slowed down the Canadian star. Earlier this month at the United Cup, he was already battling through it, determined not to let anything hold him back.

In Sydney, he confidently kicked off the 2026 season. Auger-Aliassime surged past Zhang Zhizhen 6-4, 6-4 in his opening singles match and then joined Victoria Mboko in mixed doubles, sealing Canada’s 3-0 win over China. Two matches, two wins  — it was a bright start for a player hungry to reclaim his rhythm.

The Sydney conditions, though, were brutal. The heat and humidity wrapped around the court like a blanket, testing every player’s endurance. Yet, it barely fazed Felix, who shrugged off the discomfort when asked about it after his win.

“Yeah, I mean, it didn’t get to the extent of affecting me. I think if I played five sets, yes,” he said. “I think it’s good that I’m here because I haven’t played in this humidity in a while. Finished the season indoors. Probably the last time was the semifinals in the US Open, where it was like that humid, I had some cramps. It was similar humidity, storm outside, this roof, packed.”

This time, though, it could have been a reason behind his sudden cramps. The Melbourne heat touched 30°C, but that’s far from extreme by Australian Open standards. By mid-afternoon, the tournament’s heat stress scale registered 1.4 out of five, officially classified as “temperature playing conditions.” Although Felix himself wasn’t too sure what went wrong.

Felix Auger-Aliassime speaks about his sudden exit at AO

The No.7 seed’s exit left everyone surprised, especially after he opened up about his health in the post-match press conference. It was unlike anything he’d felt before at the Australian Open, a sudden physical setback that caught even him off guard.

“This has never happened to me, especially so early in a tournament. If I had issues like this with Jannik at the US Open, we would already be in the semifinals, in the third set, but yes, I don’t remember ever experiencing cramps like this so early in a tournament, so early in a match,” he admitted, still piecing together what went wrong.

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Since 2023, Felix Auger-Aliassime’s body has endured more than its fair share of trouble. A nagging left knee injury threw his entire 2023 season off balance, forcing him out of crucial events like Halle and leaving him limited at Wimbledon, where tendon inflammation refused to ease up even after the knee had healed.

That year also brought shoulder problems and an untimely illness before Roland Garros. Frustrated but determined, Felix decided to take a short break after Paris to refocus on his health rather than push through pain. It became a defining theme across the next seasons: recovery first, results later.

Then came 2025, and the pattern continued. Back pain forced him to skip the Paris Masters after retiring in Basel, and calf strains hit during the Swiss Indoors quarters, sticking around through his ATP Finals semifinal clash with Jannik Sinner. By the end of the year, a flare-up in his knee made him miss the Moselle Open. Cortisone shots became his go-to weapon just to stay on court.

Through all that, the 25-year-old Canadian has never given up. His resilience stands out, even as tough luck keeps testing him. He knows the grind isn’t easy, but Felix Auger-Aliassime stays focused on the bigger picture.

“I don’t recall very well if it was at the end of the second or the beginning of the third, but around there. Obviously, I don’t want to panic. You think maybe it was just a wrong move or a jump that didn’t sit well with me, but then, as I started to move side to side, having to accelerate, and every time I cramp up, you know what happens,” he added.

For now, it’s Nuno Borges who moves ahead to face Jordan Thompson in the second round on Wednesday. On the other hand, it’s yet to be seen why the Canadian suffered such an end to his Australian Open. What do you think? Will he come back stronger?