“I’m not feeling well”: Auger-Aliassime to take time off after shock loss at Roland-Garros
After his first-round exit from Roland-Garros 2023, world No 10 Felix Auger-Aliassime has revealed he will take some time away from the game to get healthy
Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime in action during his first round match at the 2023 French Open
Image Credit: AI/Reuters/Panoramic
A straight sets defeat to the world No 130 is not how Felix Auger-Aliassime would have envisioned his first-round match at Roland-Garros unfolding.
With the 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 loss to Fabio Fognini on Monday, the Canadian is being realistic about his current level. Auger-Aliassime intends to take some time away from the game in order to reassess, confirming that he will now head home and spend several weeks attempting to get healthy again.
“I think I must go home, take some tests because I didn’t have time to do the specific tests. I have to do a battery of tests to see why I was sick here, why I was sick a week ago and, see what’s happening.”
“Can you believe it, I get sick the day before my match?”
Felix Auger-Aliassime
While Auger-Aliassime has been struggling with a shoulder injury for much of 2023, the 22-year-old revealed that other aspects of his health have also been poor this week as well.
“I mean, the shoulder is not great, but that wasn’t the issue today. I got a bit sick last night, didn’t really sleep… Sick all night. That’s just a reality.
“I wasn’t sure whether I should keep going or give myself a shot or if I should stop. It was a difficult time, but it’s okay. I just need to get healthy again.”
With the world No 10 confessing that at times he contemplated retiring during his three-set match against Fognini, this marks the second time in two weeks that Auger-Aliassime’s health has impacted his tennis. The Canadian withdrew from his match last week in Lyon against Arthur Fils, courtesy of a similar bout of sickness.
“I need to understand why I got sick like I did, and also a week ago it happened in Lyon. I got sick the same way.”
Race against the clock for Auger-Aliassime’s Wimbledon hopes
After stringing together a fierce run of titles towards the end of 2022 on the indoor hard courts, Felix Auger-Aliassime has had a disappointing 2023 so far.
The 22-year-old is 13-9 for the year, with his best result coming at Indian Wells where he made the quarterfinals. Since then Auger-Aliassime has won two matches and lost four, largely due to his poor health.
With the Canadian classically thriving on faster courts thanks to his booming forehand and excellent first serve, Auger-Aliassime is now in a race against the clock to be ready for Wimbledon.
“I hope that (taking a break) will help and I can play on grass in two or three weeks, but it’s difficult to say. Hopefully I can be back soon.”
