Taylor Fritz expressed his concern with an injury he did not disclose until he exited the Wimbledon Championships.
The 12th seed equalled his best run at the All-England Club but his quest for a first Grand Slam title came to an end at the hands of Lorenzo Musetti.
He suffered a 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 in three hours and 27 minutes on Court One, which concluded America’s campaign at Wimbledon this year.
With his grass court season now over, the 26-year-old will turn his attention to the clay at Roland Garros, where he will represent Team USA at the Paris Olympics.
What secret injury is Taylor Fritz carrying ahead of the Olympics?
Fritz spoke with reporters after Musetti defeated him to become the fourth Italian man to reach the semi-finals at Wimbledon.
He is ready to compete in his first Olympic Games, which will be played on clay and this is a concern for the American number one.
This is because Fritz revealed he suffered an injury at the French Open in June, which he carried into the grass court season.
Now heading back to clay, Fritz is worried about how the injury will hold up, but will work with the physios to ensure it does not hamper his performance.
“I think the Olympics will just be a really fun experience. I am slightly worried about how the clay is going to affect me,” Fritz told the press. “I guess, I don’t know how much people know about it, but my injury at the French Open was worse than I made it seem.
“I was playing through it and in my match with Casper it really lit up super bad to where I couldn’t slide, it was bothering me quite a bit when I went home. It’s more of an injury that really bothers me when I’m sliding and separating my legs a lot.
“So I am going to immediately go back to PT and try and do as much cramming as possible so hopefully I can feel good sliding on clay again as I’m slightly worried about how that is going to affect my body.”
Taylor Fritz is set to compete in his first Olympic Games
For the first time in his career, Fritz will represent Team USA at the Olympic Games at Roland Garros.
He is part of a men’s team also featuring Tommy Paul, Chris Eubanks, Marcos Giron, Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek.
Fritz achieved his best run at French Open this year by reaching the fourth round, and he will hope to find his best tennis as he goes in search of an Olympic medal.
“I always loved team sports and I’ve always loved to represent Team USA in Davis Cup and the United Cup, so this is the ultimate,” Fritz told PEOPLE.
“I’m just looking forward to the whole experience and being around so many incredible athletes.”
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