Felix Auger-Aliassime has played down any concerns about his fitness ahead of the Dubai Tennis Championships.
Auger-Aliassime retired at the Australian Open, after struggling with cramp in a shock first round exit for the world number eight.
However, the Canadian was able to bounce straight back, with Auger-Aliassime defending his title in Montpellier, before reaching the final in Rotterdam.
Auger-Aliassime was beaten by Alex de Minaur in the Rotterdam Open final, and appeared to be struggling physically.
He then withdrew from the Qatar Open, but Auger-Aliassime has now silenced any concerns after providing an update on his fitness ahead of his return to competition.
Felix Auger-Aliassime provides fitness update after withdrawing from the Qatar Open
Ahead of the 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships, Auger-Aliassime spoke to Tennis TV about how he was feeling.
Auger-Aliassime clarified that his physical woes in the Rotterdam final were as a result of the amount of tennis he had played up to that point, but dismissed any current concerns about his fitness.
“I mean obviously there’s fatigue,” Auger-Aliassime said about his struggles in the Rotterdam Open final. “I mean who wouldn’t after two weeks back-to-back, playing I think nine matches in a row in 11 days, so obviously you feel fatigue.
“But you still push through it, I was able to push all the way to the finals [Rotterdam]. Then in the finals, when you play such a quality opponent and you have a bit of fatigue, or a bit of tension, it can be felt quickly, it can be felt like ‘Oh my god, I’m not matching up today’.
“But it was nothing more than fatigue and tightness in the muscles, nothing very serious, nothing to be worried about. I knew all this coming into the match, but still tried my best, but it wasn’t enough.”
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Felix Auger-Aliassime’s potential run to the title in Dubai
Auger-Aliassime will be hoping to reach another final in Dubai, and he is the top seed at this year’s tournament.
It is also a tournament where he has found previous success before, with Auger-Aliassime reaching the final in Dubai last year before losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas.
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Auger-Aliassime will begin his campaign to go one step further in 2026 against Zhizhen Zhang, who he has already beaten this year, but has also once lost to before.
Some of the other potential threats to Auger-Aliassime in his half of the draw include Daniil Medvedev, Karen Khachanov, Jiri Lehecka, his compatriot Denis Shapovalov and Qatar Open finalist Arthur Fils.
| Dubai Tennis Championships 2026 | Felix Auger-Aliassime’s Potential Opponent |
| First Round | Zhizhen Zhang |
| Second Round | Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard/Moez Echargui |
| Quarterfinal | Jiri Lehecka (8)/Denis Shapovalov/Arthur Fils/Pablo Carreno Busta |
| Semifinal | Daniil Medvedev (3)/Karen Khachanov (7)/Jenson Brooksby/Stan Wawrinka |
| Final | Alexander Bublik (2)/Jack Draper (4)/Andrey Rublev (5)/Jakub Mensik (6) |
The other half of the draw includes Alexander Bublik, Andrey Rublev, Jakub Mensik and Jack Draper, who is returning to the ATP Tour from his lengthy absence due to an ongoing arm injury.
Auger-Aliassime will first need to take care of his first round match against Zhang, which takes place on Monday, February 23.
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