Injury woes continue for Taylor Fritz! The American had a stellar start to his season, leading Team USA to the United Cup triumph, but at the AO, he went down to Gael Monfils in the third round in a four-set thriller. Shortly after that, Fritz dealt with an abdominal injury that forced him to withdraw from the ATP 500 event in Acapulco. Although he made a comeback later on, a lot of question marks were raised after hearing him say “80% of my game is pain-free. It’s just the other 20% that kind of stops me from playing 100%. That’s why I decided to pull out of Acapulco, because probably could have forced myself through it,” just before the Indian Wells. Despite all the concerns, he took part in the ‘Sunshine Doubles,’ but per the latest updates, his abdominal injury seems to have made a return yet again. He has now withdrawn his name from the Ultimate Tennis Showdown!
If we take a look back at his run in Miami, although he made it to the SF, Taylor Fritz never really looked too confident about his physical fitness during his matches. After defeating Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego in the R64, although Fritz admitted that he and his team are still assessing how he feels throughout the tournament week, a match later, he was seen facing some physical discomfort. However, this time it was a different issue, as Fritz was seen calling for a medical timeout due to discomfort in his hand during his match against Denis Shapovalov in the R32. Then in the SF, the 19-year-old Czech Jakub Mensik fired 25 aces to seal the deal at 7-6(4),4-6,7-6(4) against Fritz.
This is something pretty rare against the American! Are these injuries a major reason behind Taylor Fritz’s struggle to clinch a title this season? Well, amid all these, the American has now sparked a major concern ahead of his clay court swing. He was supposed to take part in this week’s Bastide Medical UTS Mimes, which is going to be held at the historic amphitheater Les Arenes de Nimes.
However, on Tuesday, Fritz came up with an update saying, “I was super-excited to come back to the UTS Tour after I made the final in Los Angeles in 2023. Unfortunately, I aggravated an abdominal injury during my semi-final match in Miami, and I will not be able to recover in time to compete in Bastide Médical UTS Nîmes this week. I was really looking forward to play in this iconic venue and can’t wait to be back on UTS soon!“
Tennis – U.S. Open – Flushing Meadows, New York, United States – September 6, 2024 Taylor Fritz of the U.S. celebrates after winning his semi final match against Frances Tiafoe of the U.S. REUTERS/Mike Segar
As a result, he will now be replaced by the Czech star, Tomas Machac (The Air Machete), who will start his campaign against Gael Monfils (La Monf) in the QF on Saturday, April 4. Taylor Fritz‘s next scheduled tournament is the Monte Carlo Masters, which is all set to commence on Sunday, April 6. Statistically, clay hasn’t been his best surface, and he has never gone past the fourth round at the French Open, nor has he won a title on the dirt. With Roland Garros knocking at the doors, can Fritz overcome his injury woes and achieve the “main goal” of his career in Paris this year?
Taylor Fritz’s coach reveals what the tennis star needs to do to win major titles
Taylor Fritz had an outstanding season last year. He clinched his seventh and eighth ATP titles in Delray and Eastbourne. Then at the US Open, Fritz became the first American to reach a Grand Slam final since Andy Roddick in 2009, and it was followed by yet another final appearance at the ATP Finals. Although he went down to Jannik Sinner in both of those finals, his impressive performance in the last season earned him a career-high ranking of number 4 in the world.
Just before the start of the 2025 season, the American was asked to reflect a bit about his upcoming goals. In reply to that, Fritz had said, “Hopefully a deep run at the Slams. That’s like my main goal all year long is the big results at the Slams.” After missing out on the chance at the first Grand Slam event of the season, Fritz will now be looking forward to coming up with a better performance in Paris. What does his coach say about his big goals in his career, though?
In an interview with the Tennis Channel, Michael Russell said, “The long-term result goals, I’d love to see him win a Grand Slam title, that would be a momentous occasion. He’s been very close at the US Open final.” However, talking about the scope of improvements, the coach added, “I’d love to see him continue to move forward; he needs to come to the net more, own the transition, and the middle of the court. He’s done a better job, but it could be an area where he needs to improve still and really take it more offensively to his opponent.“ Last year, Taylor Fritz was defeated by Casper Ruud in a four-set match in the R4 of the French Open. Can the American come up with a better performance on the clay courts this season?
The post “Will Not Be Able to Recover…”: Taylor Fritz Makes Shocking Announcement Ahead of UTS Tour After Brutal Injury Resurfaces in Miami appeared first on EssentiallySports.
