"I was trying to recover" – Taylor Fritz suffers Dallas Open injury after Carlos Alcaraz warns other players in Rotterdam
ATP
Taylor Fritz advanced to the second round of the Dallas Open with a commanding victory over France’s Arthur Rinderknech.
While the 6-4, 6-2 win in just 66 minutes appeared to be a routine victory, the American later revealed that he was dealing with an injury caused by an unexpected change in tennis balls.
Carlos Alcaraz has also recently voiced concerns about injuries linked to frequent ball changes, an issue that has sparked discussions among professional players.
Fritz cruises past Rinderknech
Fritz arrived in Dallas as one of the tournament favourites, and his opening-round performance reinforced that status.
His dominant serving was a key factor in his straight-sets victory. Fritz fired 11 aces, won 93% of his first-serve points, and did not face a single break point throughout the match.
A crucial break late in the first set allowed him to take control, setting the tone for the rest of the contest.
Following his win, Fritz reflected on his performance.
"It's nice to go out and take care of my serve, find a couple breaks and win four and two," Fritz said.
"I feel like I served a pretty good percentage of first serves, which were quality. I was hitting close to lines, mixing it up well, but I was not giving him a chance to figure out where I was serving or get a good hit on the returns. That was a big key to the match."
Fritz will now face Denis Shapovalov in the second round.
Fritz reveals injury concerns
In an interview with Tennis Channel, Fritz disclosed that he had been dealing with an injury leading up to his first-round match.
"I was trying to recover a bit from an injury; I hurt myself before," he said.
"It was my oblique; it was caused by the balls that were supposed to be the same as the ones we were using here and the ones we used in Australia, but they just weren't."
"They were like the deadest balls ever, so I'm just throwing my whole body into every shot I hit, and I think I maybe slightly tore something. But I was rehabbing it and trying to get it to play tonight, and it felt pretty good, so I'm happy."
Carlos Alcaraz echoes similar concerns
Taylor Fritz is not alone in highlighting issues with frequent ball changes on the ATP Tour.
Carlos Alcaraz has also expressed concerns about the impact of ball variations on injuries, pointing out a rise in elbow and shoulder problems among players.
"I think last year there were many injuries, many players with elbow or shoulder issues. Something needs to change. I know they will change it," Alcaraz said.
"Every week, practically every week, we have different balls and conditions, so adapting to them is complicated. However, we are here to give our best and give the best of ourselves."
"I have not had physical problems because of it so far; I work every day to be in shape, and right now, I'm fine."
As Fritz continues his Dallas Open campaign, all eyes will be on whether his injury remains a concern and if he can secure another title to add to his resume.
Racing through 🏃
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 6, 2025
Taylor Fritz puts on a clinic in beating Arthur Rinderknech 6-4 6-2 🔥#DALOpen pic.twitter.com/fBJhjB3GWh
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mandoist04-02-2025 - It sounds seriously absurd that in Davis Cup, (unlike Grand Slams such as the Aus Open), medical time outs off court with the medical staff are not allowed?? I mean, if this was an Aus Open match, and the same thing happened to Gurin then, he would have been able to go off court for official medical time out and make an informed decision whether to resume the match or retire. How come such conditions do not apply in Davis Cup?? I mean, there with Davis Cup, it is even more like a soccer match or basketball game in that teams are playing. And so as with those, it ought to be the case in tennis that if a player needs serious medical time out, then one of the other team mates ought to substitute and each team needs to have stand-ins or understudies in case substitution is needed which will be rare but as we can see here, this kind of circumstance fits. But even if the teams do not go down the road of subbing other team mates in, in case of a health issue like the one which played out here, at least, as in the Aus Open and other Grand Slams, there ought to be time-outs with the health professionals and at the conclusion of these time-outs, the particular decision that has been reached between them and the player needs to be taken on board by the umpire. PERIOD.
Sueiyin04-02-2025 - "If Novak did this, he would be defaulted for life. WTF." 🤣 WTF sounds like What Tennis Fury?! What Tennis Flurry??! I mean, se-rious-ly, it was actually the unfairness of the silly umpire's decision that is the issue here! Further, how come it was Gurin & his team who got disqualified? If this kind of thing happens in soccer, it would be the other guy getting the yellow or red card! Because after all, it was the Belgian who's foul it was so why then penalize the opponents for something they didn't instigate? Fouls in both basketball and soccer are read as a hinderance that has been caused by the player who INITIALLY instigated the hinderance. In this case, okay, it is tennis, but while the precise rules are different to either soccer or basketball, the same type of recognition as to whoever instigates a hinderance should apply, and in this case, it was the Belgian player.Sueiyin04-02-2025
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- Well said.mandoist03-02-2025
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