Taylor Fritz, Nadal’s first adversary: ​​the man who has knocked down his own limits

The American, debutant in the tournament thanks to Alcaraz’s withdrawal, has won his first Masters 1000 this year in Indian Wells and has played his first Grand Slam quarter-final

Almost half a life after appearing in the semifinals in his first participation in the tournament, that kid who already appeared with two Roland Garros titles is today a family man with 22 Grand Slam trophies who keeps his competitive vigor intact. Witnesses training him with Andrey Rublev at the Pala Alpitur in Turn are all the members of his technical team, since the number two in the world has come to the Italian city supported by Carlos Moy, Francis Roig y Marc Lpezin addition to its recuperator, Rafael Maymwhich perennial shade.

One day before his debut against Taylor Fritz In this edition of the ATP Finals, Rafael Nadal, double finalist of the tournament, applies himself as usual against the number 7 in the world, irritated on more than one occasion for not being able to replicate the sticks that come from the other side of the court. It is incorporated at the end Toni Nadalaccompanied by Frederick Fontang and the pupil of both, Happy Auger-Alsowhich just got on my nerves Novak Djokovic with his great level in the previous training session.

First on one of the taxiways, for an hour, and then for another hour, in the center of this compound attached to the Comunale stadium, Nadal and Rublev make gloves as if it were a real fight. Nadal crackles intact and serves over and over again without any hint of the abdominal micro-tear that had been bothering him since the Wimbledon quarterfinals, precisely against Taylor Fritz.

Special guest

The American, a special guest due to the loss due to injury to Carlos Alcaraz, then confirms the degree of resilience of the opponent who will be measured this Sunday (9:00 p.m., Movistar) for the third time. The images of his father return, You were, almost impelling him from his corner with eloquent gestures to decline his claim to win the match after suffering the injury to his abdomen in the first set. His disobedience to his father allowed him to win the match in five sets and get into the semifinals of the third Grand Slam of the season, but the next day he called a press conference to announce that he would not be able to play against them. Nick Kyrgios.

Fritz then succumbed to Nadal’s aura, months after defeating him in the Indian Wells final with both protagonists physically handicapped. The Spaniard came out with an intercostal fracture produced in the semifinals against Alcaraz and the American with ankle problems. The only one of his matches that was not subject to mishaps was the final in Acapulco, in 2020, which the left-hander won 6-3, 6-2.

Champion this year in Tokyo and Eastbourne, in addition to winning his first Masters 1000 in the Californian town, at 25 years old Fritz begins to respond to some of the expectations that were placed on him as a successor to tennis in his country, doomed to a protracted crisis since the goodbye of Andy Roddick. The Californian has been breaking barriers in the best course of a career whose results were attenuated by a hasty fatherhood that delayed his emotional balance. In addition to debuting with one of the nine Masters 1000, he did it in quarters of a major.

The magnificent serve will be one of his main arguments on a particularly fast track. Fritz builds the points from the first impact and from his forehand, without having a hole in the backhand. Efficient and pragmatic, he doesn’t need a game of particular brilliance to get ahead. Ninth in the ATP, it is in the Green Group, which will open at 2:00 p.m. Felix Auger-Aliassime and Casper Ruud.