"Tokyo was the only time this year I was able to play without pain," Fritz discusses his physical problems this season

Defeated by Carlos Alcaraz at the ATP Finals, Taylor Fritz discussed in his post-match press conference the physical issues that disrupted his season.

After a nearly 3-hour duel, Alcaraz managed to overcome Fritz (6-7, 7-5, 6-3). The American, ranked 6th in the ATP rankings, had opportunities to build a lead and get closer to victory, but he ran into the resilience of his opponent, who eventually gained the upper hand, especially physically, in the third set. After the match, the 28-year-old player talked about his recurring injuries this season, particularly in his knee.

"I didn't have trouble staying focused on my serve, I don't think that was a problem. Once I got to the third set, I suffered a lot from my knee tendinitis. I played several days in a row, and this match was very intense.

I had trouble bending my knee on my serve in the final moments of the match. There wasn't much I could do about it. Of course, there's a part of frustration, because I felt I had opportunities to seize. My knee is in bad shape, I can't do anything about it. I've been battling this since the start of the year, I've suffered from my tendinitis all season.

It only started to become a problem from the grass season onwards. Before that, I only felt the pain when I cooled down, but never during matches. Since then, I've had a lot of trouble playing several days in a row without feeling this pain.

If I play a tough match, I need a day for the pain to subside. Tokyo was the only time this year I was able to play several days in a row without pain," Fritz told Punto de Break.