AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 19, 2026

Felix Auger-Aliassime

Press Conference

N. BORGES/F. Auger-Aliassime

3-6, 6-4, 6-4 (Ret.)

THE MODERATOR: Felix, bad luck. Can you tell us what happened out there, and how you are feeling right now?

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: I'm okay, but I just started cramping at the start of the third set. Yeah, it became very difficult to be competitive at this level.

I tried for a set, but yeah, wasn't possible today.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Was it down to the heat or the humidity or dehydration or something else going on with you physically?

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: I don't have all the answers now. I'm trying to be very professional at everything I do, prepare well. I love this sport, and I love to play. So I try to do everything I can in my control to get ready.

Obviously it hurts even more, because you know, if I was self-aware and I was, like, well, I wasn't really ready or I wasn't doing everything, then you have to be honest with yourself. But even with being honest with myself, I'm not totally finding the reasons why this is happening.

It wasn't happening in the past, so I'll have to figure it out.

Q. I was going to ask, when was the last time you felt that way, because I can't remember you cramping really probably since you were a kid really?

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Yeah, especially this early in the tournament. You know, if I had struggles with Jannik in US Open, we were all the way to the semifinals, third set. But, yeah, I can't recall ever in my life this early in a tournament, this early in a match.

Q. When did it actually start during the match? When did you start feeling something?

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: I think third set, but you know, sometimes it's tough to recall, because you might feel something jumping on a serve. Now my memory is a bit vague if it was the end of the second or the start of the third, but around there.

Obviously you don't panic. You think, oh, maybe it was just one bad movement or one jump that didn't feel right. But then as I started moving left and right, having to sprint, and every time I cramped, you know what's happening.

Q. When you spoke to the physio at the end of the third set, what were the concerns you were voicing? You decided to play on and then very quickly decided to stop. What was behind that?

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Yeah, like, it's not my first time. I just knew it wasn't heading in the right direction. I don't like to be on the court that way.

I want to be on the court winning. I want to be on the court competing with my opponent. I don't want to be just standing there, you know, like a punching bag. So there's no point, and you know to move on.

Q. I know you were sick at the United Cup. Just curious if that kind of affected your preparation in any way?

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Not really, to be honest. I took a day off after the United Cup. I felt better quickly after.

Then we just went up gradually, but we were very careful with our preparation and having time on the court to get ready for obviously the tough matches. You know, spending three to four hours on the court, some of the days slowing down a little bit to not kill myself.

We were as precise as we could as a team. It's not time to point any fingers. It's more time to just get all together and then find solutions.