Fritz on Barty’s retirement: “Tennis is a very stressful sport”

Taylor Fritz faces this week the Miami Masters 1,000, the Miami Open, with new energy after achieving the greatest success of his career last week at the Indian Wells Masters 1,000 after beating Rafa Nadal in the final in a match in which the Spaniard played with discomfort in his ribs while Fritz did so with ankle pain that almost left him without playing the match.

The Californian tennis player spoke about this ankle discomfort at the press conference he offered before the Miami Open and assured that the test results were better than expected. “He ruled out a stress fracture, which was what we feared. Before the final they looked at my ankle because it was very swollen and I couldn’t move it in some directions and in the warm-up it hurt a lot. It still hurts and we will have to continue to monitor that it is a blow”

Fritz also wanted to comment on the big news in tennis in recent hours, the withdrawal of Ashleigh Barty, and assured that he understands the Australian tennis player’s decision. “I am surprised that Barty is retiring, but he must have thought it through. I think he might come back one day because he is young, but this shows that tennis is a very stressful sport, because every week you have to be aware of many things and if people expect a lot from you, the pressure is even greater. I understand Barty’s decision, tennis is sometimes an exhausting sport.”