Felix Auger-Aliassime has reportedly recovered from the health scare that forced him to retire from his first-round matchup at the U.S. Open.
"It was palpitations that he had. The kid couldn't be in better shape," Bernard Duchesneau, Auger-Aliassime's agent, told The Canadian Press. "It's not like a major problem, it's more the fact that it was the humidity that (made it) very difficult. And with the stress and everything, it's not something you want to take risks with."
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Auger-Aliassime experienced a high heart rate during his meeting with fellow Canadian Denis Shapovalov on Monday. While playing into the third set, the 18-year-old started to feel the effects from the humidity and heat that continues to plague the tournament.
Auger-Aliassime fell into a 3-1 deficit in the set and his immobility around the court became noticable. He called for medical assistance a few times throughout the match, but continued to play.
Fellow Canadians @FelixTennis and @Denis_Shapo share an emotional embrace after Felix is forced to retire from #USOpen Rd. 1.pic.twitter.com/undBIeI1iX
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) August 28, 2018
Once Shapovalov took the commanding 4-1 lead in the set, Auger-Aliassime approached the net to concede the match. Shapovalov, meanwhile, was tasked with fighting the balance between competitor and friend throughout the night.
"It’s tough to see a friend go down like that," Shapovalov told reporters. "It was tough. When I saw that he was struggling, I still had to keep trying to win, keep kind of pounding it on him. It wasn’t easy for me."
With three months remaining in the ATP season, it's very likely Auger-Aliassime will return to action before the end of the year.