Taylor Fritz made a winning return to action at the Madrid Open.
The American number one has not played since reaching the semi-finals of the Miami Open following a longstanding abdominal injury.
Four weeks after his defeat to Jakub Mensik in Florida, Fritz is back on the ATP Tour and has commenced his clay court season in impressive fashion.
Fritz is known for his consistency and he hopes that his opening round win at the Madrid Open can help him get back on track in that regard.
Taylor Fritz discloses what he said to his coach in practice before tennis return in Madrid
Taylor Fritz opened up his Madrid Open campaign against Australia’s Christopher O’Connell.
Friday’s encounter was his first match on clay since the 2024 Olympic Games, but Fritz moved well and applied pressure on his opponent from the outset.
He struck the ball cleanly and won 87% of his first serve points to seal a 6-1, 6-4 victory in 75 minutes.
Fritz revealed the little amount of practice he has had over the last month, but told his coach how happy he was with his level in practice having less time on the court due to his injury, though he was nervous to say so.
“It feels great to come back and play a really solid match,” the US Open runner-up said. “I didn’t want to jinx it before the match, but I was telling my coach that I was really impressed with how my level has been in practice the last couple of days.
“The first ball I hit since the match I lost in Miami was the day before I flew here, so I had three weeks of nothing, then five days of tennis. I’m super happy I can come out and produce that level on the little bit of prep I had.”
Taylor Fritz aiming to replicate 2024 Madrid Open performance
Fritz is aiming to replicate his performance at the Madrid Open from a year ago, or go even further.
He reached the semi-finals in the Spanish capital last year, beating the likes of Hubert Hurkacz and Francisco Cerudolo along the way, before he was beaten by eventual champion Andrey Rublev.
Though Fritz is lacking some match fitness, he is on the hunt for the title, which would be his first trophy of the season.
Fritz faces Benjamin Bonzi on Sunday, who upset Hurkacz in the previous round in straight sets. This will be Fritz’s first meeting against the Frenchman.
