Felix Auger-Aliassime Withdraws from Canadian Open 2026 – Back Injury Ends Home Dream
At the 2026 Canadian Open, the session was sold out. The crowd was ready. Montreal had been waiting weeks for this moment. Felix Auger-Aliassime, the second seed and biggest Canadian storyline of the entire tournament, was two hours away from walking onto Centre Court at IGA Stadium to play his opening match. Then came the news nobody wanted to hear.
FAA withdrew from his hometown tournament with a back injury sustained during training on Monday, ending his 2026 Canadian Open campaign before a single competitive ball was struck. The announcement sent shockwaves through a Montreal crowd that had been desperate to see their biggest star compete as the highest-seeded Canadian in National Bank Open history.
The heartbreak did not stop there. Within hours, top seed Alexander Zverev and fourth seed Daniil Medvedev both exited the tournament on the same night, leaving the 2026 Canadian Open without any of its top six seeds for the first time since 1991.
Quick Facts:
| Detail | Info |
| FAA ranking | World No. 4, second seed |
| Injury | Back injury during training Monday |
| Withdrawal timing | Two hours before scheduled match |
| Scheduled opponent | Qualifier Titouan Droguet |
| Highest remaining seed | Alex de Minaur, World No. 7 |
| Historic context | First time since 1991 no top-5 in round of 16 |
Felix Auger-Aliassime Withdraws – What Happened
Felix Auger-Aliassime’s 2026 Canadian Open is over before it even started.
The top-ranked Canadian withdrew from his hometown event at IGA Stadium in Montreal some two hours before his opening match against French qualifier Titouan Droguet on Wednesday August 5, after sustaining a back injury during practice.
Auger-Aliassime had arrived in Montreal two weeks before the tournament began, clearly motivated to make the most of his historic second seed status at his home Masters 1000 event. Everything was going smoothly until Monday, when he felt a sharp pain in his back during a training session that would ultimately end his tournament before it began.
FAA withdrawal timeline:
| Day | Event |
| Monday August 3 | Sharp back pain felt during training session |
| Tuesday August 4 | First round match moved to Wednesday vs Droguet |
| Wednesday August 5 | Withdrawal confirmed two hours before match time |
| Wednesday August 5 | Press conference held at IGA Stadium |
The tournament had announced a day in advance that Wednesday’s session featuring FAA was completely sold out, an extraordinary achievement that reflected the enormous anticipation surrounding his home tournament debut as the second seed. Thousands of Montreal fans who had purchased tickets specifically to watch their hometown hero compete were left bitterly disappointed by the withdrawal announcement.
Tournament director Valerie Tetreault confirmed the withdrawal and expressed the organisation’s disappointment. “I’m not going to lie, we were hoping that Félix was going to win at least a few matches here in Montreal. There was a big hype on Félix. He’s definitely the player everybody was talking about, and people wanted to know when he was going to play. It’s pretty rare that we can announce a day in advance that we’re actually sold out for a session.”
FAA in His Own Words
Felix Auger-Aliassime faced the media at a press conference at IGA Stadium on Wednesday, delivering one of the most difficult announcements a home favourite can make to their home crowd.
His words were honest, direct, and clearly painful.
On the injury and timing:
“I had zero problems. It happens sometimes. It’s happened for me in the past, but it’s just the timing; it’s tough, right, for it to happen here.”
That quote captures the cruelty of the situation. FAA had arrived two weeks early, prepared meticulously, carried no physical concerns into the tournament week, and then lost everything to a moment in training that he had no way of anticipating or preventing.
On why he could not play through it:
“Essentially, I couldn’t serve, so it’s impossible for me to play at the level that the competition requires.”
For a player of FAA’s calibre, competing without a functional serve at a Masters 1000 event against a field of world class opponents is simply not a viable option. The back injury did not just cause pain. It removed the foundation of his entire game.
For a complete look at his career, Canadian Open history, and what this withdrawal means for his season, read our dedicated Felix Auger-Aliassime player profile.
The Domino Effect – Zverev and Medvedev Also Exit
FAA’s withdrawal was painful enough on its own. What followed on Wednesday evening made it one of the most dramatic single days in recent Canadian Open history.
Top seed Alexander Zverev, the Roland Garros champion who had arrived in Montreal as the favourite to win the title following the earlier withdrawals of Sinner, Alcaraz, and Djokovic, was upset by Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands 6-7(3), 6-2, 6-4 in his opening match.
Zverev took the first set in a tiebreak before Griekspoor responded with a dramatically more aggressive performance to win the next two sets and complete one of the biggest upsets of the tournament.
Zverev’s own assessment was brutally honest:
“I expected not to play well this week. I played very well the last couple of months. I took a little bit of time off and practised then, but it’s a tough transition. I didn’t expect to play well. I also didn’t expect to play this bad, to be honest. This was probably the worst match of the season.”
Griekspoor, who admitted he had been close to walking away from the sport after a difficult season, described the victory as one of the most special wins of his career.
Then came Medvedev.
Fourth seed Daniil Medvedev dropped his second round match against Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands 6-3, 7-6(5), completing a catastrophic day for the top seeds that left Montreal reeling.
Wednesday exits at a glance:
| Player | Seed | Result | Opponent |
| FAA | No. 2 | Withdrew | Back injury |
| Alexander Zverev | No. 1 | Lost 6-7(3), 6-2, 6-4 | Tallon Griekspoor |
| Daniil Medvedev | No. 4 | Lost 6-3, 7-6(5) | Botic van de Zandschulp |
The 2026 Canadian Open will now continue without any of the ATP’s top six players, with eight more days still to play. It is the first time since 1991 that no top-five players have reached the round of 16 at this tournament.
Who Is Left – De Minaur Takes Over as Top Seed
With FAA withdrawn, Zverev and Medvedev eliminated, and Sinner, Alcaraz, and Djokovic having withdrawn before the tournament began, Alex de Minaur of Australia becomes the highest ranked player remaining in the Canadian Open draw.
The third seed and world No. 7 now carries the status of tournament favourite by default, entering the second week of the tournament as the player everyone else must beat to claim the Montreal title.
Remaining contenders at a glance:
| Player | Seed | Ranking | Status |
| Alex de Minaur | No. 3 | World No. 7 | Still in draw |
| Ben Shelton | No. 5 | World No. 9 | Still in draw |
| Tommy Paul | No. 7 | World No. 11 | Still in draw |
| Joao Fonseca | Unseeded | Rising star | Still in draw |
| Tallon Griekspoor | Unseeded | World No. 40 | Upset Zverev |
| Botic van de Zandschulp | Unseeded | World No. 50 | Beat Medvedev |
De Minaur’s opportunity:
The Australian has reached the Canadian Open final before and arrives in Montreal as one of the most consistent performers at Masters 1000 level on the remaining tour. With the draw now wide open, his path to the title has never looked clearer at this specific tournament.
For the latest match results and updated draw information, check our complete Canadian Open results page for confirmed scores throughout the tournament.
The Wide Open Draw – Who Can Win Now
The chaos of Wednesday August 5 has transformed the 2026 Canadian Open men’s draw into one of the most genuinely open Masters 1000 fields in recent memory. With no top-six seeds remaining and eight more days of tennis still to play, the title is available to a wider range of players than at almost any point in the modern era of this tournament.
Who benefits most from the open draw:
Alex de Minaur – The New Favourite:
The third seed inherits favourite status by default but brings genuine quality to justify it. His speed, defensive ability, and Masters 1000 experience make him the most complete player remaining in the Montreal draw heading into the second week.
Ben Shelton – The Defending Champion:
The 2025 Canadian Open champion and fifth seed arrives in Montreal with the confidence of a player who has won on these courts before. His explosive left-handed serve becomes even more dangerous when opponents cannot prepare specifically for the top seeds they expected to face.
Tommy Paul – The Dark Horse:
The seventh seed is one of the most consistent hard court performers on the ATP tour and his experience in Masters 1000 draws gives him a significant advantage over less experienced players in the bottom half of the bracket.
Joao Fonseca – The Wildcard Story:
The young Brazilian rising star has been one of the most exciting players on the tour in 2026 and an open draw gives him exactly the kind of opportunity that accelerates careers at his stage of development.
For a complete look at all players still competing in Montreal, explore our Canadian Open tennis players guide for the full confirmed draw breakdown.
One Farewell One Heartbreak – Same Night as Monfils
Wednesday August 5 at the 2026 Canadian Open delivered one of the most emotionally contrasting evenings the tournament has produced in recent memory.
On one side of the draw sheet, Gael Monfils was preparing for his second round match against Learner Tien in what everyone knew could be one of his final appearances at a tournament he has loved for 15 appearances across his career. The farewell season. The crowd staying until midnight. The emotional on-court speeches.
On the other side, Felix Auger-Aliassime was walking into a press conference to announce he would not play a single competitive point at his home tournament, the second seed, the hometown hero, the player Montreal had sold out a session to watch.
The emotional contrast of Wednesday night:
| Story | Player | Emotion |
| Farewell season | Gael Monfils | Joy, gratitude, celebration |
| Home dream ended | Felix Auger-Aliassime | Disappointment, heartbreak |
| Career comeback | Tallon Griekspoor | Triumph against the odds |
| Draw chaos | Zverev and Medvedev | Shock exits |
Montreal tennis fans experienced the full range of emotions across a single evening. The warmth of Monfils saying goodbye to a city that has loved him for two decades. The cold reality of FAA’s withdrawal announcement echoing through a stadium that had sold every ticket to watch him play.
Both stories reflect exactly what makes live professional tennis so compelling and so unpredictable. No script could have written Wednesday night at the 2026 Canadian Open more dramatically than it actually unfolded.
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Conclusion
Felix Auger-Aliassime withdraws from the Canadian Open 2026 and takes with him the biggest storyline, the sold-out session, and the dream of a Montreal crowd that had waited years to see their hometown hero compete as the second seed at his home Masters 1000 event.
The back injury that struck during Monday’s training session was nobody’s fault and nothing anyone could have prevented. But the timing, two hours before his first match, in front of a sold-out IGA Stadium crowd, on the same night Monfils played his emotional farewell second round match, made it one of the most painful moments Canadian tennis has experienced at the 2026 National Bank Open.
The tournament continues without its top six seeds. The draw is wide open. And somewhere in Montreal, Felix Auger-Aliassime is hoping his back recovers in time to make the US Open count.
For full draw updates and confirmed results as the tournament progresses, explore our complete Canadian Open schedule and check our Canadian Open results page for live scores throughout the remaining days in Montreal.
