“Do not play this match,” Paul Annacone reveals discouraging Taylor Fritz to play history-making final at Indian Wells
Follow Us
Taylor Fritz created history on Saturday by becoming the first American male tennis player since former US Open winner Andy Roddick in 2009-10 to reach back-to-back semi-finals at the Indian Wells Masters. This achievement came after he defeated Miomir Kecmanovic in the 2022 Indian Wells Masters quarterfinals, securing his spot in the tournament’s semi-finals.
He then went on to win the whole tournament in an exceptional and dogged performance, defeating the favorite Rafael Nadal in the final to become the first person since Andre Agassi to win the tournament.
Annacone advised Taylor Fritz to not play final
Taylor Fritz caused a major upset by defeating Rafael Nadal 6-3, 7-6 in the final of the Indian Wells Masters. The American stunned the tennis community with a very impressive straight-sets win against Rafael Nadal in the final of the Indian Wells. Nadal was in hot form and came into the match with a 20-0 win record in 2022.
Post the match, Fritz’s coach Paul Annacone has revealed that the whole coaching team had advised the American star to skip the final. Taylor Fritz is suffering from an ankle injury and the coaching team feared there is a risk of aggravating the injury if he plays the final and might miss out on future tournaments like the all-important Grand Slam, Roland Garros.
“All three of his team, me, Mike Russell, and fitness trainer Wolfgang Oswald all said ‘Do not play this match’. He said, I am playing. I can do this. I want to get out on the court with Rafa“, Annacone revealed the conversation prior to the match.
However, the American ultimately played the final and created history by winning the title and becoming the first American since Andre Agassi to achieve the feat. This was also his very first ATP 1000 title.
Stay Updated!
Akash Mandal
(433 Articles Published)