"Thought I'd have to retire" - Indian Wells winner Taylor Fritz injured for the title
Taylor Fritz (ATP No. 13) won the biggest title of his career with his final victory over Rafael Nadal in Indian Wells . He almost didn't go to the final at all.
by Florian Goosmann
last edit: Mar 21, 2022, 10:53 am
"After the match I kept saying 'No way, no way'. I can't believe that's true," said American Taylor Fritz after his Indian Wells triumph. "I could not believe it."
If you read Fritz's words, you might think: Well, a final victory over Nadal, unbeaten to date in 2022, is actually a big surprise. But Fritz's words mainly referred to something else: Because the 24-year-old had injured himself at the end of his semi-final match against Andrey Rublev, twisted his ankle and spoke of "the worst pain imaginable" when warming up for the final, which he did after a few minutes broke off.
Taylor Fritz: "Sorry I was so stubborn"
Large parts of his team would not have wanted him to compete at all, Fritz admitted - but then he no longer felt the pain at all on the court. If he hadn't started, he would have racked his brains for a long time as to why he hadn't at least tried, says Fritz. He explained that to his team as well. He was met with little love, but his decision would have been supported. "I apologize for being so incredibly stubborn," Fritz said after his victory - and one can assume that the apology will be accepted.
Although Fritz probably also benefited from the fact that opponent Nadal was also not in full possession of his strength, apparently revealed problems with the thoracic vertebrae area and could not completely pull through the serve and backhand.
Fritz is getting closer to Top 10
For Fritz, however, the victory in Indian Wells was a very special one: as a child he often visited as a fan, the Indian Wells Tennis Garden is only two hours away from his parents' home in Rancho Santa Fe. While driving, his father Guy once predicted that one day he would win the tournament - and he was right.
Fritz is thus also much closer to the top 10: 13th place is the new career high in the statistics this week. "My goal over the past few months has been the top 10. The win brings me much closer to that."
Will he be able to add directly in Miami? Whether his injury will still show up.