“Two months is long”: Taylor Fritz admits concerns ahead of clay-court return in Geneva

Taylor Fritz spoke ahead of his return – after two months away from the courts, while he hopes to quickly recover his form in order to be ready for Roland Garros. The American will have only one preparatory tournament on clay-courts: it will be starting on Monday at the ATP 250 Geneva Open.

The World No. 7 has not had a great 2026, affected by injuries and without enough consistency in results. And Fritz has a 12-8 record this season, winning the title at the Dallas Open over Ben Shelton. However, he suffered early eliminations at the most important tournaments: only the Round of 16 at the Australian Open and Miami Open, and just third round at Indian Wells.

After the Sunshine Double, the news became worse for the American, as an injury forced him to withdraw from the following tournaments on clay-courts. He has already missed three Masters 1000 events and is only currently No. 27 in the ATP Race – that is, considering only the points earned during 2026.

The 29-year-old player will have Geneva as his first stop back on the courts, with the objective of building confidence before the French Open. “I am returning to Geneva for a fourth time, because I love this city,” Fritz assured in press conference. “But also because this tournament allows me to prepare in the best possible way for Roland-Garros, with the balls used at Eaux-Vives being the same as those in Paris."

The American will be the first seed of the tournament, although without competitive rhythm on clay-courts. His last match on the surface was at Roland Garros 2025 – where he lost in the first round against Daniel Altmaier. He has been absent from the Tour since his fourth-round elimination at the Miami Open in mid-March, and it has now been more than two months without seeing the American No. 2 in competition.

“Two months is long,” commented the American. “It is longer than an off-season, but I had to stop, because I could no longer move forward."

Fritz himself recognises that his expectations are not too high in Geneva, although he hopes it will be a springboard that helps him add victories and confidence on the surface. “I need games, I need sets, I need matches,” he assured. “I need to rediscover my tennis, reconnect with my intuition for the game, because Roland-Garros and Wimbledon are approaching quickly, and I have objectives for both tournaments.”

Fritz is still waiting to know his opponent on debut. The first seed has a first-round bye, so he awaits the winner between Alexei Popyrin and Clement Tabur (coming from qualifying). In case of advancing to the quarter-finals, he could potentially face recent Rome Open finalist Casper Ruud – if the Norwegian finally decides to participate in Geneva at all.

The tournament will also take place in the context of the farewell of one of the greatest local legends: the three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka, who, in the year of his retirement, will have his final stop at the Geneva Open after receiving a wildcard – a tournament where Wawrinka won the title on two occasions (2016, 2017), becoming one of the three local players who have managed to win the title and the only one to repeat it.

Along those lines, Wawrinka’s presence will be especially celebrated by the organisation, which hopes to give a proper farewell to one of the greatest legends of recent tennis. Fritz had words for his 41-year-old colleague, whom he faced at the Australian Open earlier this season.

“Stan, I admire him,” he reiterated on Sunday in Geneva. “The passion that he had for the game, the commitment he showed throughout his career, everything is impressive. He is a legend of our sport. I hope I can be like him when I am 41 years old...”.

Wawrinka had initially been drawn to face seventh seed Alejandro Tabilo, however the Chilean withdrew from the tournament – after a good campaign at the Valencia Challenger until the semi-finals. His exit allowed the entry of Italian Raul Brancaccio (No. 240) as a lucky loser, whom he will face on Monday.