Taylor Fritz 'devastated' to withdraw from Paris Masters

November 1, 2023

Taylor Fritz ‘devastated’ to withdraw from Paris Masters

Taylor Fritz has pulled out of his second round match at the Paris Masters, all but ending his hopes of qualifying for the ATP Finals in Turin.

Fritz beat Sebastian Baez, 6-1 6-4, in his first round match and was set to play in the second round later today against Daniel Altmaier.

Fritz made it through Baez ?#RolexParisMasters pic.twitter.com/bPIzMtcPzB

— ROLEX PARIS MASTERS (@RolexPMasters) October 30, 2023

However, the American No.1 took to social media to reveal that he would not be taking to the court, “Devastated to have to pull out with so much on the line. All I wanted was the chance to fight for my potential Turin spot but after getting scans today on my oblique it’s just not possible for me to play. Time to rehab and hope to be back on court as soon as I can be.”

Fritz received treatment on his abdominal area during the match and admitted that this injury wasn’t a new issue after his first round victory.

“It’s something that’s been bothering me for a little bit… I didn’t think it was anything too bad going in [to this match], but one where I slid out and sliced that forehand, I felt like I did something that I had never done to it before,” explained Fritz. “Like maybe I tore something or pulled it. So I’m going to have to get it checked out and see what’s going on.”

He added, “It was aggravated after Australia this year. It was aggravated during and after Wimbledon. I felt it last week but it wasn’t bad. When I went to hit a defensive slice forehand, I felt something new with it.. like I made it worse”

Devastated to have to pull out with so much on the line. All I wanted was the chance to fight for my potential Turin spot but after getting scans today on my oblique it’s just not possible for me to play. Time to rehab and hope to be back on court as soon as I can be ❤️‍? https://t.co/rN0ESbD3wq

— Taylor Fritz (@Taylor_Fritz97) October 31, 2023

As a result of Fritz’s withdrawal, Altmaier has received a walkover to the third round of the Paris Masters for the first time, where he will play either defending champion Holger Rune or 2020 US Open winner Dominic Thiem.

As Fritz had suggested in his social media post, this will more than likely end his hopes of qualifying for the ATP Finals and call an end to his 2023 season.

However, he is still currently entered into the ATP 250 event in Sofia next week, but is expected to withdraw from that too.

Inside the baseline…

It has been a challenging past couple of months for Taylor Fritz, who has failed to win back-to-back matches since reaching the quarter-finals of the US Open. In regards to the race to the ATP Finals, it seems as though Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev are the front-runners to take two of the final three spots, with Holger Rune looking looking to fend off the in-form Hubert Hurkacz.

Race to the ATP Finals in Turin

With Fritz’s withdrawal from the Paris Masters, the race to the ATP Finals in Turin have seen another twist with eight players still mathematically able to qualify:

1. Novak Djokovic – 8955 points (Qualified)

2. Carlos Alcaraz – 8455 points (Qualified)

3. Daniil Medvedev – 7200 points (Qualified)

4. Jannik Sinner – 5410 points (Qualified)

5. Andrey Rublev – 4535 points (Qualified)

6. Stefanos Tsitsipas – 3885 points

7. Alexander Zverev – 3540 points

8. Holger Rune – 3290 points

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9. Hubert Hurkacz – 3110 points

10. Taylor Fritz – 3100 points

11. Casper Ruud – 2825 points