Hotel quarantine, last-minute flight, practice problems - Taylor Fritz's 'crazy' week to Japan Open title In Tokyo
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Published 11/10/2022 at 14:30 GMT
From a positive Covid-19 test to hotel quarantine and rain in Tokyo changing practice plans, Taylor Fritz had a rollercoaster week before winning the Japan Open. The American looked as though he might miss the event after a positive test result in Korea, but managed to travel just in time and then beat Frances Tiafoe to win the title and boost his Nitto ATP Finals hopes.
Highlights: Fritz tops Tiafoe in Tokyo to complete quarantine to champion journey
Taylor Fritz did not think he was going to be able to compete in Tokyo.
On Thursday, September 29, four days before the start of the Japan Open, he had to withdraw from the Korea Open following a positive Covid-19 test and spend seven days in hotel quarantine in Seoul.
On Wednesday, October 5 he flew to Tokyo early in the morning and won his opening match later that day. Four days later he was lifting the title.
This is how Fritz’s whirlwind week unfolded.
September 29 – Positive test result
After helping Team World secure their first-ever win at the Laver Cup in London, Fritz headed straight to Seoul for the Korea Open.
He was due to face fellow American Mackenzie McDonald in his first match at the tournament, but didn’t get on court after a positive Covid-19 test result.
Not only was Fritz unable to play the Korea Open, but his hopes of playing the Japan Open the following week were in jeopardy.
Cameron Norrie ended up in a similar position as he tested positive for Covid-19 at the Korea Open and had to pull out of his quarter-final and also couldn’t travel to Tokyo due to the quarantine period.
The clock was ticking for Fritz.
October 5 – Out of quarantine, into action
Fritz could not have cut it any finer to get to Tokyo.
His opening match had been scheduled for the latest opportunity on Wednesday evening and he only got out of hotel quarantine that morning.
He got up at 5am, caught the two-hour flight to Tokyo and barely had time to practice before taking to the court against James Duckworth. He was given a tough test by Duckworth in the second set but came through 6-2 6-7(2) 6-1 to advance into the last 16.
“I don’t feel amazing but I’m really happy that I was able to go through all that and still show up for my match,” said Fritz, who revealed he had only been able to exercise on three days of his quarantine in Seoul.
“I felt, for whatever reason, confidence that I was going to be able to come out of the lockdown and strike the ball well.
“I was more concerned about the cardio and my condition after being really sick and not being able to do anything.”
October 6-7 – Another win, Kyrgios break
Fritz was back in action the next day against Japanese lucky loser Hiroki Moriya.
Again it wasn’t a straightforward win for the American as he needed three sets to progress 6-1 3-6 6-4.
"Physically, I feel good," he said afterwards. "It's more just not having been able to practise and play. It's tough for me to feel good about going for my shots and being aggressive. So I guess it's good I'm getting a lot of time on the court."
If Fritz was struggling at all physically then he got a break in the quarter-finals as fifth seed Nick Kyrgios withdrew due to a leg injury.
That gave Fritz a day of recovery ahead of his semi-final against Denis Shapovalov and also a much-needed opportunity to practice on the show court.
October 8 – First practice on show court
Up until his semi-final Fritz had only been able to practise on the indoor courts in Tokyo due to rain.
But after his match against Kyrgios was cancelled he was able to hit the show court on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon.
"I felt like that made a really big difference with my confidence and my feel hitting the ball," he said after beating Shapovalov in three sets.
"Honestly, physically I've felt fine all week. I think the biggest struggle for me this week has been the court speed."
Fritz looked in trouble against Shapovalov at 3-1 down in the deciding set but came through to win 6-3 6-7(5) 6-3, a win that ensured he would break into the top 10 in the rankings for the first time.
"It's pretty amazing what I've been able to accomplish this week. Just from thinking that I might not even be able to play this tournament to then seven days in a room, wake up at 5 am, take a flight here and just show up and play... It's pretty crazy how quick things happen. It was only four days ago."
October 9 – Beat Tiafoe, win title
While Fritz had battled his way into the final, his opponent, Frances Tiafoe, had dropped just one set in four matches and looked in excellent touch.
Tiafoe also carried a streak of 13 successive wins in tie-breaks heading into the all-American final.
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Highlights: Fritz downs Shapovalov to reach Japan Open final
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But it was Fritz who came out on top in two expertly-played tie-breaks to seal a memorable win. Fritz was aggressive in both breakers and didn’t a drop a point behind his serve in either.
"I felt extremely calm and I felt like I had a lot of clarity in making decisions on the court,” Fritz said afterwards.
“For playing such a big match in a final, that's huge to not be nervous and feel very calm and locked in."
The win moves Fritz up to No. 8 in the rankings and seventh in the Race to Turin standings, which would currently be enough for him to take the last qualifying spot for the Nitto ATP Finals.
“Crazy, I don’t even think it’s set in just how fast the last four or five days have been,” he said. “It’s so crazy, and I couldn’t have written it any better. It’s exactly what I needed for the race, for my ranking, to kind of put me in a good position for the end of the year, so it’s amazing.”
Fritz will have a well-deserved week off before heading to Stockholm, which starts on October 17. He is then set to play the ATP 500 in Vienna before the last Masters event of the season in Paris.
Fritz has earned 41 wins this year, which has already easily cleared his previous best of 34 in a full season.
The Nitto ATP Finals in Turin start on November 13.
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