California (Archyde.com)
Taylor Fritz worked his way through the pain to end Rafael Nadal’s 20-game winning streak by defeating the Spaniard 6-3 7-6 in the Indian Wells Championships final, becoming the first American to win the title since Andre Agassi more than 20 years ago.
Fritz gave his country’s fans what they came to watch as a heroic performance and an American winner, depriving Nadal of his fourth title this season and the 37th title in the Masters Championships.
Fritz, who was struggling with an ankle injury, said after winning his second career title that he doubted even getting off the court and had never felt such pain before a match.
But the 24-year-old American decided to take a risk and was rewarded with the biggest title of his career, overtaking his Spanish opponent, who won 21 Grand Slam titles.
“This is just one of those childhood dreams that you think will never come true,” Fritz said. I’ve never felt worse pain before a match.
If I had known it was going to be this bad, I wouldn’t have come here. I took several steps to change direction and screamed and honestly I was trying to look tough because I was in front of the cameras.
“We did a lot of work before the game and I had mixed feelings before the game, thinking there was no way I could play today.
There were concerns about the players’ readiness ahead of the final.
While Fritz had difficulties due to an ankle problem, Nadal was suffering from a chest injury he sustained during his three-set victory over compatriot Carlos Alcaraz, “18,” in the semi-finals.
“When I breathe, when I move, it’s like having a needle all the time inside me,” Nadal said. I get a little dizzy because the pain is so intense. It’s a kind of pain that really bothers me. It’s not just about the pain, I don’t feel good because it affects my breathing.
Nadal said last week that he would not take part in the Miami Open, which begins immediately after Indian Wells.
The 35-year-old Spaniard was clearly out of his game early in the match, and Fritz broke twice to take a 4-0 lead.
But as he had done so many times before, Nadal refused to raise the white flag and twice kept his serve and broke the American to make the score 5-3, to the excitement of the fans who filled the stadium.
Fritz gathered his forces and stopped Nadal’s lead with the third break of the Spaniard’s serve, to win the first set.
At the end of the opening set, Nadal requested treatment time and returned to the court with renewed enthusiasm.
The second set reached a tiebreak, but in the end the American player with a strong serve proved much stronger than his Spanish opponent.