Taylor Fritz had a difficult start to the year in the 2026 United Cup when he lost his first match against Sebastián Báezafter starting the match “in a very good way” but ending up falling due to the Argentine’s comeback.
In a press conference after the defeat, the American player and No. 6 in the world was honest about what he experienced: “This is not the way I want to start the year. I looked a little rusty,” acknowledging that his game was not at the desired level in the decisive moments.
Regarding the development of the match, Fritz reflected that “The first set, for both of us, was not of a high level, we both made many mistakes,” and explained how in the first set he had won merely because “I put balls on the court and he made mistakes.”
However, as the opponent improved, the American perceived that he lacked control: “My feeling is that the ball was flying towards me. “I didn’t feel like I had the control I wanted when I was trying to be offensive,” he lamented.
Fritz also admitted problems with his service during the match: “Then I had a couple of games in which I served very badly. He played solid,” and added that sometimes “it was difficult for me to beat him when I was behind. He beat me a lot from the baseline.”
The main focus of his comments was his injury knee, a problem that has been going on since the preseason: “I spent most of, practically the entire preseason, rehabilitating my knee tendinopathy, but it is something that takes months and months to improve,” he explained.
Fritz detailed the constant struggle between competing and recovering: “I couldn’t play many points because I try not to. demand me too much. It’s going to be a struggle to get the points and the games to start feeling comfortable while juggling that and still managing the knee pain.”
Finally, the American was clear about his immediate future: “I am going to try to play and continue with the rehabilitation as I travel and get better, but if that doesn’t work in a couple of months, then I’ll have to stop completely and figure it out,” leaving open the possibility of a longer break if the situation doesn’t improve.
