"It's strange, I don't know if there has been a virus in Madrid" - Felix Auger-Aliassime on stomach problems during “lucky” run to Madrid Open final

Felix Auger-Aliassime conjectured that there has been a virus that has gripped the city of Madrid after he failed to win the 2024 Madrid Open men's singles title.

Auger-Aliassime lost to Andrey Rublev in the final of the ATP 1000 event at La Caja Magica on Sunday, May 5. He began the match in dominating fashion by claiming the first set on the back of two break points.

However, Rublev produced a spirited effort and completed a comeback win by winning the second and third sets to lay hands on the trophy with a 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 win.

Notably, Auger-Aliassime rode a wave of fortune to reach the final in the Spanish capital as three out of his six wins came as walkovers. He kicked off his campaign by defeating Yoshihito Nishioka in the first round and then overcame France's Adrian Mannarino in the second.

The Canadian's opponent Jakub Mensik took the court against him but quit trailing 6-1, 1-0 in the match due to an arm injury. He then bested Casper Ruud in the fourth round to set up a meeting with first-seed Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals.

Auger-Aliassime and Sinner, however, didn't meet as the latter withdrew with hip issues. The former then met Jiri Lehecka in the semifinal and received his third walkover in the draw as the Czech pulled out with a back injury with the score at 3-3. He eventually lost in the summit clash to Rublev, who was also suffering from a sore throat and inflammatory toes.

Auger-Aliassime termed his week in Madrid "weird" during the post-match presser, wondering if there has been a viral breakout in the capital. He said:

"It's been a weird week. I also suffered problems with my stomach in the middle of the tournament. One day I wasn't sure if I could play, and Mensik got off just right.

"It's strange, I don't know. Rublev too, I don't know if there has been a virus perhaps in Madrid. I was lucky not to play in the quarterfinals or semis, and even then, I had cramps today." (via Punto de Break; translated)

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Felix Auger-Aliassime: "My body was tired of fighting the virus all week"

Felix Auger-Aliassime receives treatment during his final against Andrey Rublev at the 2024 Madrid Open.

In the same presser, Felix Auger-Aliassime claimed that he'd been infected with the virus for the last seven days, and his body just couldn't keep up with the workload.

"I think it's a physical thing, it hasn't happened to me many times in my career. I guess my body was tired of fighting the virus all week," he said.

Even though Felix Auger-Aliassime couldn't lay hands on the men's singles trophy at the 2024 Madrid Open, he has secured a spot in the Top 20 of the ATP rankings with his finalist finish.

He earned a total of 640 points in Madrid and jumped a staggering 15 places to claim the World No. 20 spot with 1,880 points against his column. Felix Auger-Aliassime has notably been ranked as high as World No. 6 in his career thus far.