Inside Fritz’s Rollercoaster Indian Wells Win

Taylor Fritz’s coach, Michael Russell, had one word to describe his charge’s dream run to the BNP Paribas Open title at Indian Wells last week: rollercoaster.

The American, who is now a career-high No. 13 in the ATP Rankings, tweaked his ankle during his semi-final win against Andrey Rublev, and had to cut short his first warmup on Sunday before playing Rafael Nadal for the trophy.

“We didn’t really know how it was going to feel until he got on court and really tested it,” Russell told ATPTour.com. “But we weren’t expecting it to be that bad.”

Fritz’s physio, Wolfgang Oswald, and the tournament doctor tried their best to make things more comfortable for the 24-year-old by using various methods, including taping.

“[He] got an injection and then finally it got to the point where the injection kicked in and he literally had zero pain,” Russell said.

But the coach gave his player a major test before the match. The team ventured to a practice court where nobody was around, and Russell put Fritz through an intense session.

“We would never warm up like that, ever. We really tested it. I had him going side to side, drop shots. I basically said, ‘Okay, we’re going to play a groundstroke game, but I’m in one corner and I get full court.’ I was exhausting him on purpose to see if he could do all this, because he was going to have to do it for two hours, at least, two and a half,” Russell said. “And he was able to do it with a straight face and said, ‘Look, I can do all this. I’m confident in my foot and that I could play.’

“I really moved him and we still advised him not to play because we just didn’t know what the MRI would say and [what] any longterm effects [would be]. We didn’t want to deter his career. It’s a macro picture of what to look at, but the guy is such a warrior, such a competitor and so stubborn.”

Fritz himself admitted he was stubborn. Regardless of his team’s advice, he had his mind set.

“He was like ‘No, I’m going to play. And the way that I feel right now, I’ll regret this decision the rest of my life if I don’t walk on court and give it my best,’” Russell recalled. “So we said, ‘Okay, as long as you understand that we’re not condoning that you go on court and play, because it could be a really, really bad injury. But it’s on you, and it’s your decision.’ He said, ‘Yeah’ and was like, ‘Sorry I’m so stubborn, but I have to step out there.’ We were like ‘Okay’ and miraculously he felt great.”

The Californian played aggressive tennis to take the action to Nadal, who entered the match 20-0, a career-best start to the season for the Spaniard. Even when Rafa appeared poised to claw through the second-set tie-break to force a decider, Fritz remained calm and battled through.

“Sometimes [having an injury] can free you up a little bit, too. You have that a little bit in the back of your mind, that the ankle is not quite 100 per cent, and you’re a little freer. Already you’re considered the underdog by ranking and of course the experience Rafa has in a final,” Russell said. “Taylor did a great job, especially in that tie-break in the second, he really took it to Rafa, played his game and played big-strike tennis, big serve, big groundstrokes and didn’t give Rafa any rhythm. It just turned out to be an incredible week.”

It was a whirlwind for the entire team. From telling Fritz he should not play to watching him earn Masters 1000 glory, there were plenty of emotions.

“We all just said, ‘Incredible fight, [you are] such a warrior’ and [there were] just a lot of big smiles,” Russell said. “[There was] a lot of shaking of the head too, because of what transpired an hour to two hours before the match to what happened in the match to win your first Masters [1000] event, and [that he did it] in the United States. It’s just incredible.”

Indian Wells has been a happy hunting ground for Fritz in the past six months. When the BNP Paribas Open was held in the California desert last October, he reached the semi-finals as the World No. 39. Now he is on the verge of cracking the Top 10.

“It’s just a great story. Taylor is from Southern California, he’s in the final of Indian Wells. It kind of kickstarted the performance that he’s had the past six months [when he did well] there last October,” Russell said. “We’ve been continuing to build on that and it’s been sweet. He’s just got to continue the progression and success and stay healthy.”