Canadian tennis star Felix Auger-Aliassime withdrew from this week’s Dubai Tennis Championships due to a back injury.
The ATP 500 tournament organizers announced Auger-Aliassime’s withdrawal on Twitter and said the 21-year-old from Montreal would be replaced in the draw by Alexei Popyrin of Australia.
Auger-Aliassime, ranked ninth in the world, was ranked third in Dubai.
The Canadian has had a stellar start to the season, including his first ATP Tour title earlier this month in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
England reached the final of the Provence Open last week in Marseille, France, losing to Russian Andrey Rublev in a title match on Sunday.
Auger-Aliassime also advanced to this year’s Australian Open quarterfinals, where he pushed finalist Daniil Medvedev to five sets. He also helped Canada win the ATP Cup in January, winning the title with a win over Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut in the final.
This Canadian Press report was first published on February 21, 2022.
