SHANGHAI — Felix Auger-Aliassime has withdrawn from his next two tournaments after sustaining a knee injury at the Shanghai Masters, a setback that all but ends his hopes of qualifying for the ATP Finals.
The world No.5 appeared to tweak his knee during the first set of his last-16 meeting with Casper Ruud in Shanghai, trailing 5-2 before retiring with new coach Ivan Ljubicic courtside. He had earlier needed three sets to overcome both Camilo Ugo Carabelli and Pablo Carreno Busta. Posting on Instagram, Auger-Aliassime wrote: “After injuring my knee during my match in Shanghai earlier this week, my team and I have decided that I’ll take the next two weeks off from competition. Unfortunately, this means withdrawing from Brussels and Basel, two tournaments I’ve won and really enjoyed playing in the past. Now the focus shifts to recovery and working hard to get back to competing as soon as possible. Thank you all for your continued support.”
The absence is a significant blow for the Canadian, a nine-time ATP champion who has lifted the trophy in Basel in 2022 and 2023 and won in Brussels in 2025. The 26-year-old claimed his only title of 2026 in Montpellier and cracked the ATP top four for the first time in his career this season, also securing his 300th career win.
Auger-Aliassime is currently 15th in the Race to Turin, closely behind Tommy Paul and Taylor Fritz, who are playing in Lyon this week, with Novak Djokovic just ahead of the American duo after accepting a wildcard to play Basel. His upcoming absences mean he will finish the year outside the top 10, with his two-week layoff ruling him out of two events where he has previously enjoyed considerable success. His withdrawal comes as Joao Fonseca ends his 2026 season and will miss his Basel defence.