Fritz: Madrid Semifinal Slippery Slope

By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Friday, Could 3, 2024

Taylor Fritz slipped out of the Madrid semifinals.

After bowing to Andrey Rublev 6-4, 6-3 in at present’s Mutua Madrid Open semifinals, Fritz cited two hindrances that ended his Madrid run.

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First, Rublev’s rocket serve displaced Fritz and arrange the Russian’s fierce first-strike forehand.

Secondly, Fritz could not at all times preserve his toes defending out of the corners.

Afterward, Fritz instructed the media in Madrid the Manolo Santana Stadium courtroom may use extra clay.

Actually, he stated generally he may hear the squeal of his sneaker on the exhausting floor beneath the pink mud when sliding. 

“I imply, I do know for a reality that there’s not as a lot clay on middle than all the opposite courts,” Fritz instructed the media in Madrid. “I can actually, after I’m taking little steps, I can hear my toes squeaking as a result of it is hitting the exhausting floor beneath the clay.

“I felt each time I used to be type of attempting to take an explosive step, which was quite a bit as a result of he was pulling me to date off the courtroom along with his serve, I needed to take some fairly aggressive steps to get again into the courtroom, I used to be simply slipping quite a bit.”

Final week, Olympic gold-medal champion and Tennis Channel analyst Monica Puig described her days of taking part in in Madrid as if feeling she was “taking part in on a tough courtroom with clay on prime.”

Fritz stated Manolo Santana Stadium Court docket is “positively slower and fairly slippery” in comparison with Arantxa Sanchez Stadium.

“I imply, it is usually fairly awkward after I’m transferring, however I felt much more awkward,” Fritz stated. “I felt further awkward transferring at present. I felt like I used to be attending to lots of balls just a bit late or off stability, and it simply wasn’t flowing for me.

“However like I stated, he served very properly and I did not serve so properly. So it is, you recognize, it is one thing I can management.”

Photograph credit score: Matthew Calvis