By Chris Oddo | Monday August 27, 2018
Felix Auger-Aliassime suffered from an elevated heartrate—tachycardia—during his first-round match at the U.S. Open, which eventually led to his retirement from the match in the third set against his friend and compatriot Denis Shapovalov.
It was a heartbreaking moment on Day 1 of the U.S. Open that also highlighted great sportsmanship and the closeness that the two rising stars share.
According to media reports Auger-Aliassime has suffered from heart difficulties before.
The extreme heat and humidity may have exacerbated Auger-Aliassime’s difficulties in New York today. He began struggling early in the match and reached for his heart a few times as he struggled. He sought the attention of the tournament's medical staff before continuing to soldier on. Finally he had to pull the plug after two hours and 29 minutes of action.
“I don't want to talk too deep about it,” his friend and compatriot Denis Shapovalov told reporters after the match. “He was definitely struggling with his stamina or something. Yeah, there's not much I want to say publicly just in terms of his sake and my sake.”