Felix Auger-Aliassime reveals extent of health problems – ‘I was sick all night’

French Open

Shahida Jacobs
May 30, 2023

Felix Auger-Aliassime enjoyed a nightmare 24 hours at Roland Garros as he was sick in the build-up to his opening-round match and then suffered a drubbing at the hands of Fabio Fognini.

The 10th seed’s clay-court campaign had not been the greatest as he missed the Monte Carlo Masters due to injury and then lost early in Madrid and Rome. After winning his opening match at the Lyon Open last week, he withdrew from his quarter-final clash in order to rest his shoulder ahead of the French Open.

Yet, it wasn’t the shoulder that led to his downfall against veteran Fognini at the second Grand Slam of the year on Monday.

The Canadian struggled with illness on Sunday evening and his stomach continued to give him problems during the match, resulting in a medical timeout and a visit to the toilet.

He eventually went down 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 as world No 52 Fognini claimed his first top-10 win at Roland Garros.

“I mean, the shoulder is not great, but that wasn’t the issue today,” Auger-Aliassime revealed. “I got a bit sick last night, didn’t really sleep.

“Yeah, I sick all night. That’s just a reality. I mean, I woke up this morning trying, I mean, it’s like I’ve been struggling with a few things, and it’s like, can you believe it, I get sick the day before my match?

“I tried to warm up. I tried to see the doctor, see what I could take but after one set, you know, just cramping and can’t move anymore. So yeah, I don’t know.

“I wasn’t sure whether I should keep going or give myself a shot or if I should just stop. It was a difficult time, but it’s okay. I just need to get healthy again.”

Having reached the fourth round at Roland Garros last year, the Canadian is set to drop out of the top 10.

He is next set to be in action on grass at the Rosmalen Grass Court Championships, which starts on June 12, but for now it is about finding the cause of his illness and being healthy.

“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,” he said.

“I have just two or three things that I need to figure out, run tests, batteries of tests. I mean, I’ve been just unhealthy lately and just been fighting a lot with my body, trying to practice, trying to play.

“Definitely I need to come back to myself as a player and enjoy playing because, yeah, it’s been tough. So I don’t know. We’ll see how the next days go. I’m going to run some tests, and hopefully I can be back soon. That I would hope, but I need to be back healthy. That’s for sure.

“I hope that will help and I can play on grass in two or three weeks, but it’s difficult to say. 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. I tried everything. I tried to hang on, but next time I’m on the court I want to be in good shape.”

Felix Auger-Aliassime