At the US Open on a sweltering Thursday in New York, Felix Auger-Aliassime — the tournament's third seed and a man who had twice reached these semi-finals — found himself undone not by his opponent but by his own body, which offered dizziness and fractured vision where steadiness was needed most. The Canadian's second-round exit to unseeded Karen Khachanov is a reminder that sport, for all its strategy and preparation, remains subject to the deeper uncertainties of human physiology. His withdrawal, following a back injury in August, opens quiet questions about resilience and recovery as the se
Third seed Auger-Aliassime exits US Open after feeling 'dizzy and seeing spots'
This was abnormal. I've never felt quite like that.
Mark
So Auger-Aliassime lost to Khachanov, but it sounds like the match itself wasn't really the story. What actually happened out there?
Mimi
He started feeling dizzy partway through—after about a set and a half—and began seeing spots in his vision. He said it was unlike anything he'd experienced before, even though he's had cramps and fatigue in matches.
Luke
Did he actually withdraw, or did he play through it and lose? The reporting says he lost the match, so he finished it.
Mimi
Right, he played through it. He lost 6-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2. He kept hoping it would pass, but it didn't.
Mark
And this was completely unexpected? No warning signs?
Mimi
He said there were no signs in the days before or even that morning. It just happened during the match.
Luke
The temperature was 30 degrees Celsius that day, and there had been rain for several days before. Musetti also had physical problems in the same conditions. So we know the environment was extreme, but we don't know if that caused Auger-Aliassime's symptoms specifically.
Mark
What's his history with injuries?
Mimi
He withdrew from the Rogers Cup in Montreal in August with a back injury. So there's a pattern of physical issues, but this dizziness and vision thing is new and unexplained.
Luke
The source doesn't say whether he's had medical evaluation since the match or what doctors think it was. That's still open.
Mark
And he was seeded third, so this is a significant loss for the tournament.
Mimi
He's the highest-ranked player to exit the men's draw so far. Even Djokovic, the fourth seed, already lost in the first round.
Le Pouls
- Auger-Aliassime began losing his grip on the match not through errors but through a creeping dizziness and visual disturbance he had never experienced before in competition.
- New York's oppressive 30-degree heat — arriving after days of rain — created punishing conditions that claimed multiple top players, including 13th seed Musetti and, earlier, former champion Djokovic.
- The Canadian tried to push through, hoping the symptoms would pass as fatigue sometimes does, but the episode only deepened, leaving him searching for words to describe something genuinely unfamiliar.
- His exit as the highest-ranked men's player to leave the draw so far casts a shadow over his autumn schedule, with unresolved questions about whether his August back injury is truly behind him.
- Khachanov advanced graciously, acknowledging that the body's refusal to cooperate is simply part of the sport — a truth that no ranking or preparation can fully insure against.
At the US Open on a sweltering Thursday in New York, Felix Auger-Aliassime — the tournament's third seed and a man who had twice reached these semi-finals — found himself undone not by his opponent but by his own body, which offered dizziness and fractured vision where steadiness was needed most. The Canadian's second-round exit to unseeded Karen Khachanov is a reminder that sport, for all its strategy and preparation, remains subject to the deeper uncertainties of human physiology. His withdrawal, following a back injury in August, opens quiet questions about resilience and recovery as the season turns toward autumn.
Felix Auger-Aliassime left the US Open on Thursday having lost something more unsettling than a match — the ability to trust his own body. The third seed fell to unseeded Karen Khachanov 6-7 6-3 6-2 6-2 in the second round, but the scoreline obscures what really happened. Midway through the contest, dizziness crept in and his vision broke into spots. By the time he reached the interview room, he was struggling to describe an experience entirely new to him.
"I was dizzy and seeing spots and couldn't recover," he said. He had hoped it would pass, the way fatigue sometimes does in the heat of a match. It didn't. What unsettled him most was the strangeness — he had cramped before, felt exhausted before, but this was different. "This was abnormal," he said. "I've never felt quite like that."
His exit marks the highest-ranked men's player to leave the draw so far, and he was not alone in his suffering. Temperatures reached 30 degrees Celsius after days of rain, and Italy's Lorenzo Musetti also struggled physically in similar conditions. Even Novak Djokovic had already departed in the first round, saying he had despised every moment on court.
The episode adds weight to what has already been a difficult stretch. Auger-Aliassime reached the quarter-finals at both Wimbledon and the French Open this year, but withdrew from the Rogers Cup in August with a back injury. Whether Thursday's mysterious symptoms are connected to that injury, or signal something else entirely, remains unanswered — and that uncertainty now follows him into the autumn.
Felix Auger-Aliassime walked off the court at the US Open on Thursday having lost not just a match but something harder to name—the ability to trust his own body. The third seed, a two-time semi-finalist at the tournament, fell to unseeded Russian Karen Khachanov 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-2 6-2 in the second round, but the scoreline tells only half the story. Midway through the contest, the 26-year-old Canadian began to feel something shift. Dizziness crept in. His vision fractured into spots. By the time he reached the interview room, he was searching for words to describe an experience he'd never had before.
"After a set and a half, I just couldn't feel well," Auger-Aliassime said. "I was dizzy and seeing spots and couldn't recover." He had hoped it would pass, the way fatigue or cramping sometimes does in the heat of competition. It didn't. What struck him most was the strangeness of it all—he'd felt tired in matches before, had cramped up, but this was different. "This was abnormal," he said. "I've never felt quite like that." There had been no warning signs in the days leading up to the match, no hint that Thursday would be anything but ordinary.
His exit marks the highest-ranked player to leave the men's singles draw so far in New York. It comes on the heels of other withdrawals that suggest the conditions in New York this week have been punishing. Temperatures reached 30 degrees Celsius on Thursday after several days of rain had saturated the courts and the air. Italy's 13th seed Lorenzo Musetti also struggled physically in similar heat, losing 3-6 6-1 6-2 6-2 to Australian wildcard Dane Sweeny. Even Novak Djokovic, the four-time champion and fourth seed, had already exited in the first round, telling reporters he "despised every moment" he spent on court.
Auger-Aliassime's withdrawal adds another layer to what has been a difficult stretch for the Canadian. He reached the quarter-finals at both Wimbledon and the French Open earlier this year, but in August he withdrew from the Rogers Cup in Montreal due to a back injury. The question now hanging over his autumn schedule is whether that injury has truly healed, or whether Thursday's mysterious physical episode signals something deeper still.
Khachanov, who advanced to the third round, offered a measured response when asked about his opponent's condition. "I am not sure but maybe he had some physical issues and that is part of our sport," the Russian said. "I wish him to feel better and speedy recovery if he is injured." It was a gracious acknowledgment of something neither player could fully explain—that sometimes the body simply stops cooperating, and no amount of preparation or ranking can change that.
Citations marquantes
After a set and a half, I just couldn't feel well and was dizzy and seeing spots and couldn't recover.— Felix Auger-Aliassime
I wish him to feel better and speedy recovery if he is injured.— Karen Khachanov
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