Taylor Fritz warned he’s making ‘stupid’ decision as former top-10 star issues injury warning
Former WTA Tour star Coco Vandeweghe has criticised Taylor Fritz’s decision to continue playing a packed schedule despite battling multiple injury concerns.
World No 8 Fritz is in action on home soil this week at the Delray Beach Open, an event he previously won in 2023 and 2024.
The US No 1 is the top seed at the ATP 250 tournament and is already through to the quarter-final of the event in Florida, receiving a bye in round one before defeating rising star Rafael Jodar 7-6(4), 6-4 in round two.
Fritz’s campaign in Delray Beach comes directly off the back of his Dallas Open campaign, where he held three championship points in the final before falling to compatriot Ben Shelton.
The 28-year-old was noticeably struggling physically during stages of his campaign at the ATP 500 event in Dallas, and also looked far from his best during his fourth-round loss to Lorenzo Musetti at the Australian Open last month.
Fritz underwent meniscus surgery back in 2021, and knee pain has again proved an issue for him in recent months, with the American also battling an oblique issue.
Speaking during his Dallas Open campaign, Fritz explained why he was continuing to play a regular schedule despite physical concerns.
He said: “It’s not something that gets better with a lot of stentinitis.
“You need to just work through it. So I trust my physio, and we think the knee can get better while I’m still playing tournaments if it’s something I can play through.”
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However, Fritz’s approach has now been questioned by Vandeweghe, a former WTA world No 9 and a two-time Grand Slam singles semi-finalist.
Speaking on the Big T podcast, Vandeweghe questioned why Fritz was playing so regularly and not resting ahead of the Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells — a tournament the world No 8 won back in 2022.
“I think it’s stupid,” said Vandeweghe. “I think it’s stupid because he had that knee injury that he had surgery on.
“And I know it’s a different injury and the oblique, but he’s way too young to be pushing himself through these injuries at these tournaments. I think, come a Grand Slam, absolutely. Push through it.
“But he knows that Indian Wells is one of his favourite tournaments, his biggest tournament for him in his mind, knowing Taylor, as I do, growing up with his dad, Guy Fritz, as my first coach, going to the desert was his second home, and he wants to play well there.
“So why would you sacrifice a run of back-to-back, like he did when you are pulling up to Australia, already injured? That, to me, just doesn’t make any sense.”
Fritz will look to continue his Delray Beach campaign on Friday night, with the top seed facing a tough quarter-final against compatriot and close friend Tommy Paul, the fifth seed.
It is a rematch of the 2024 final at the event, won by Fritz in straight sets, and the winner will face either Learner Tien or Frances Tiafoe in the last four on Saturday.
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