(Reuters) – Taylor Fritz stated his cussed streak and a high pain tolerance helped him win the Indian Wells title on Sunday after an ankle damage virtually pressured the American to drag out of the ultimate in opposition to Rafa Nadal.
Fritz overcame excruciating pain to snap Nadal’s 20-match successful run with a 6-3 7-6(5) victory within the ATP Masters 1000 event, turning into the primary American to seize the crown since Andre Agassi over twenty years in the past.
“I’m a particularly cussed particular person. I additionally assume I’ve a really high pain tolerance and never a whole lot of regard for probably damaging myself worse if I feel there’s an opportunity to get on the courtroom and play,” stated Fritz, who suffered the damage on Saturday.
“It’s most likely a whole lot of not-so-good issues that get me on courtroom. I used to be fascinated with what I used to be going to need to say to the gang if I pulled out … It takes lots to get me to not take the courtroom.”
Fritz had proven comparable resilience final yr when he returned at Wimbledon following knee surgical procedure, solely a month after exiting the French Open in a wheelchair as a consequence of damage.
The 24-year-old advised reporters he had gone in opposition to the recommendation of some members of his staff by going through Nadal on Sunday.
“I went to the physician. We did a whole lot of work on it. I numbed it … Went out once more after possibly like an hour of labor. I began hitting. I noticed, ‘wow, possibly I can really play’,” Fritz stated.
“I had this sense of hope the following time I went again on the observe courtroom. It was a game-time determination. A whole lot of members of my staff needed me to not play the match.
“I’m by no means going to allow them to neglect that as a result of I went on the courtroom and it was a whole non-issue, I did not really feel it in any respect, it did not hinder me in any respect.”
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
