Taylor Fritz made a decision this season that he now believes was a mistake.
The 27-year-old is usually ever-present on the ATP Tour and hardly misses a tournament he is scheduled to appear at.
But 2025 has been a difficult season in which the World number four has been hampered by an abdominal injury and it forced him to withdraw from the Monte Carlo Masters and the Munich Open.
As he reflects on his campaign so far, Fritz thinks he made a wrong decision which has since proved costly.
Taylor Fritz admits he made a mistake which has hampered his 2025 season
Taylor Fritz has reached at least the quarter-finals of just two tournaments so far this season.
The American has also been suffering from an abdominal injury for most of 2025, and though he was feeling pain he flew back home after the Australian Open to compete in Dallas and then Delray Beach.
He then played at Indian Wells almost a month later and was feeling good until Fritz aggravated the injury in Miami. Looking back, Fritz thinks he should have taken more time after competing at Melbourne Park.
“It has been really frustrating. I think this year is the least amount of tennis I have ever played. I haven’t been playing in between tournaments because I have been trying to give it time to heal,” Fritz told the ATP Tour website.
“I mismanaged it at the beginning. It wasn’t bad enough at the beginning to stop so I played. It happened before Dallas so I played Dallas, Delray and went to Acapulco and I probably should not have played any of those tournaments. I could play but I knew I [was] not going to be able to play well enough to win.
“I took some time off [after Delray] and felt decent in Indian Wells and felt good in Miami. I was really happy in Miami because the first time since Australian Open I was able to play with no pain, all out, not having to think about it.
“In the quarter-finals I re-injured it and before I went to Monte-Carlo I got a scan to see how it is and it showed I had a small tear. I took three more weeks, I wanted to give it a bit more time. It is feeling so far better.
“I have only played a couple days since coming back, so I’m managing it. I just want to be done with it. It has been one of the most frustrating injuries I have ever dealt with because it has been so hard to get to go away.”
Taylor Fritz to return to action at the Madrid Open
Fritz has not played since losing to Jakub Mensik in Miami, who went on to become the champion.
Almost a month later and back to full fitness, Fritz is ready to commence his clay court season and he will enter the Madrid Open.
He will commence his campaign when he takes on Australia’s Christopher O’Connell in his opening match on Friday.
Fritz is undefeated against O’Connell after winning their first two matches, and this will be their second meeting in Madrid.
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