Felix Auger-Aliassime’s time at Melbounre Park hits an abrupt end. The Frenchman, seeded No.7 at the Australian Open, entered for his seventh campaign. The Canadian 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.”

This is a developing story…