Tennis: Straight wins: Nadal lost to Fritz in the ATP Final

Rafael Nadal has competed in tennis 20 times this year, and the Spaniard left the field as a 20-time winner. In the Indian Wells final, this series is now over against Taylor Fritz.

Rafael Nadal They left no stone unturned and ended up conceding their first defeat of the year.

Despite the excruciating pain and difficulty breathing, the Spaniard struggled for more than two hours against Taylor Fritz in the Indian Wells final. United States of America, saved match point and lost 3:6, 6:7 (5:7) in the tiebreak after a good 20 minutes after a huge opportunity was missed. Instead of celebrating the fourth championship this year and starting the clay court season undefeated, the Spaniard had to absorb the defeat and the circumstances.

“I wanted to do it perfectly in front of the mud,” Nadal said. “I’m sad because I couldn’t fight properly. These feelings are tough, every day, but they are so ugly, especially in the final.” Unbeaten in 20 matches this year, he was in Australian Open His 21st major win and thus a record in men’s tennis and he also won the ATP Championships in Melbourne and Acapulco – all after problems with his foot completely paralyzed him for several months.

He said his foot won’t come back 100 percent again before the California Desert Masters starts, but that he can now handle it and trust his body again. That was until he was treated on the field late in the semi-final against his younger compatriot Carlos Alcaraz the night before. There were further interventions by the physiatrist against Fritz on Sunday. Nadal said that due to the short period between the two matches, he does not know exactly what the problem is. “It’s hard for me to breathe,” he said. However, he sometimes scored crazy points against Fritz, who in turn played very well.

As a fair athlete, he didn’t mention his obvious complaints in his on-court acceptance speech and congratulated Fritz on his first win on the ATP Tour. Also in the press conference, it was important for Nadal to stress the importance of the moment for his opponent. “It’s a great day for him, and I hope he enjoys it.”

Fritz is the first American to win Indian Wells since Andre Agassi in 2001. At 24, he was also as young as Novak Djokovic who last won in 2011. “I have to hold back my tears for all the following interviews. It’s one of my dreams Childhood, winning this championship here in Indian Wells, that you “can’t believe they can come true,” said Fritz, from California, in his first reaction on the court to the great cheers of spectators on the world’s second largest tennis court.

He himself had physical problems and was not sure until shortly before the match whether he would be able to play at all. “I can’t even say how amazing it is that I was able to play the way I could play today, the pain was so great,” he said of the ankle problems that came up during the warm-up period.

When he finally used his second game point in the tiebreak after Nadal chased a ball into the net against all expectations at 5:5, Fritz sank onto his back and extended his arms and legs. “I’ve lost those matches against the big guys my whole life and I’ve always felt that they are unbeatable,” he said. “It’s such an honor to be with him on the court, I grew up watching him.”