Felix Auger-Aliassime now confirms what happened to him at the US Open after second-round defeat

Felix Auger-Aliassime lost to Karen Khachanov, 7-6, 3-6, 2-6, 2-6, in the second round of the 2026 US Open.

The Canadian reached the US Open semi-finals a year ago, but failed to repeat the feat in 2026. Instead, Khachanov defeated Auger-Aliassime in four sets before reaching the semi-finals himself.

Auger-Aliassime looked off his game at Flushing Meadows, and ahead of this weekend's Davis Cup action, he's confirmed what really happened to him.

Felix Auger-Aliassime thinks he may have been suffering from 'heatstroke' during US Open defeat

During an interview with the Davis Cup media team, Auger-Aliassime said the following about his US Open exit.

"Obviously, after what happened in New York, first you have to digest the loss and the disappointment; then I always try to figure out what happened. In this case, it was not easy to find out what happened. I think it was some sort of heatstroke or something, really out of my control," he said.

"You just have to move on, have to learn how to move on fast, not dwell on it too much, and bounce back. This is now my next event after the US Open, and I'm going to try to play some good tennis!"

Auger-Aliassime finished 2025 in some of the best form of his career, leaving many wondering if he could challenge Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner at this year's Grand Slam tournaments. Unfortunately for the Canadian, he couldn't maintain the level he showed last fall and didn't reach a major semi-final this season.

Felix Auger-Aliassime's 2026 Grand Slam results

Australian Open – First round (Lost to Nuno Borges)

French Open – Quarter-final (Lost to Flavio Cobolli)

Wimbledon – Quarter-final (Lost to Novak Djokovic)

US Open – Second round (Lost to Karen Khachanov)

The good news for Auger-Aliassime is that he is about to begin his favourite stretch of the season. The 26-year-old often excels after the US Open, especially at the indoor hard-court tournaments.

First up is a Davis Cup qualifying tie against the French…

Felix Auger-Aliassime previews Davis Cup qualifier vs France

Auger-Aliassime, Canada's star man, is expected to lead his team to victory over France in Quebec. The world number six is excited to play in front of his home fans again after missing this year's Canadian Open.

"My dad still has an academy here; it's nice to have a chance to see my people, have a chance to come back to the courts I grew up on. And to know that I'm actually going to play here and I'm not just visiting is quite nice," he said.

"So I think we're going to have an amazing atmosphere, an amazing moment, and hopefully some good tennis and the win; that would be great."

Auger-Aliassime missed Canada's 3-2 win over Brazil in February, but kept a close eye on his teammates.

"Coming back to Liam [Draxl] and Gab [Diallo] playing in Brazil earlier this year, I was actually over in Europe, so it was tough to watch live, but I was in touch with Gab, in touch with the rest of the team, wishing them the best, following the scores, seeing a few clips whenever I could," he said.

"The sense of playing for something bigger than yourself is something I take a lot of pride in. On tour, it's more individual, but once in a while, you get a chance to play for something much bigger; I do enjoy that."

Finally, Auger-Aliassime commented on Canada's stunning 2022 Davis Cup triumph, where he clinched the title with a straight-sets win over Alex de Minaur.

"When I look back at 2022, what stays the most is obviously the win, the final moment. These are moments that you cherish forever, we had an amazing campaign, an amazing journey throughout the year. It started out tough, but then we picked it up in September, played some great tennis," he said.

"The team was a little bit different – different players – but everything kind of came together; everything clicked, and we got out of tough situations in certain ties. Once we made it out of that, and we came to the end of the year, it was the quarter-final stage; we needed three ties to win it all, and we felt that this week could be the week where we make history in our country.

"It would be nice to have a chance to feel that again; it could take a bit more time, if we're realistic. What we did was extra special; everything kind of had to click and come together, so it's going to be a lot of adversity going through that again, but I believe in myself, and I believe in the team, that it's something we can do again."

Auger-Aliassime and Team Canada must beat France to advance to this year's Davis Cup Finals in Bologna. Their qualifying tie will take place on Friday, September 18, and Saturday, September 19.