Taylor Fritz experienced some physical issues during the 2024 Laver Cup, which prevented him from playing his best tennis. This was evident in the final match of the event.
Fritz was the top player on Team World’s side at the 2024 Laver Cup in Berlin. He was the one many expected could bail Team World out when things got tricky, and while he did, he failed to beat Carlos Alcaraz in the final match of the competition, which determined which side won the event.
As Alcaraz won, Team Europe won the event 13-11. It wasn’t the best match from Fritz, who couldn’t come close to his best, and it was obvious early on in the match. During the match, the American player took some pills, which made many curious about what issue he was dealing with.
The biggest visible issue was that he couldn’t play the way he had played before, but that didn’t necessarily mean there was something wrong with him physically. After the event, he confirmed that he did have physical problems that arose after the first day of the competition and worsened as it went on.
On the first day, Fritz paired up with Ben Shelton to take on Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev in a doubles match, and they produced a solid effort to beat them in two sets.
He experienced tightness in his shoulder following that match, and it particularly bothered him when hitting backhands. He also struggled to toss the ball a little.
"Yeah, something with the balls, I have been having some tightness in my left shoulder. Noticed it after the first day, more like from hitting backhands. I think it's tight and I struggled to toss the ball a bit."
The issue flared up massively during his second-day match against Zverev, but he was able to finish the match and even win it.
He thought things would get better towards the final day, but they didn't improve that much, so he had to take some painkillers during the match against Alcaraz, hoping that they would make it better, but ultimately, it didn't prove enough.
"But it kind of lit up on me a bit in the second set of the match yesterday. Thought it felt better today. After the first couple of games, I kind of felt it tightening up. It's nothing, like, crazy but, I mean, yeah, I thought if I could take some painkillers, make me feel better, I may as well."
The American lost to the Spaniard in two simple sets, which was unfortunate for Team World as a fully healthy Fritz might have been able to challenge for the Laver Cup trophy.
He certainly fancied his chances, but without his best tennis, it could never happen. It was unfortunate, but hopefully, it won't prevent him from competing in the following tournaments on the ATP Tour.
A shoulder injury at this point in the season would be devastating, but Fritz seems unconcerned, which should be a good sign.