The knee has not completely healed. “My knee is doing relatively well. At least that’s enough for me to practice and play properly. It hurts from time to time, like it hurt against Carlos Alcaraz, and I can feel it after such a long tournament, but it’s not too bad. As a tennis player you are almost never 100%.
Fritz was speaking in Stockholm after beating Thiago Agustin Tirante 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (3) to win his first career title, his second of the season in Washington. The title moves him up to world number 9.
“I can’t remember the last time I was this excited for pre-season.”
The match against Alcaraz he referred to was their quarter-final at the Rolex Paris Masters, where he held two points. Earlier in the week in Stockholm, Fritz already explained that the knee prevented him from improving for a year and a half. Now he can finally plan ahead.
“I have a lot of confidence going into next season and I’m looking forward to the off-season before I start my pre-season preparations,” he said. “I can’t remember the last time I was this excited for pre-season. All the other years I’ve been dealing with some kind of injury and I haven’t really been able to prepare the way I wanted to.”