Taylor Fritz injury leaves door open for Alex de Minaur in Race to Turin
The Australian remains a chance to join the elite at the end-of-year event.
Aussie tennis ace Alex de Minaur has been handed a slight boost for his opportunity to crack into the top eight in the Race to Turin with Taylor Fritz announcing his injury in his Paris Masters withdrawal. Fritz defeated Sebastian Baez in the first round of the Paris Masters, but admitted he hurt himself in the process.
“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," Fritz said.
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"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.” And the injury caused him to immediately withdraw from the competition in Paris.
His decision to withdraw means he is out of the running for the year-end ATP Finals tournament. The American admitted he was 'devastated' with so much on the line at the end of the season. Sitting at 10th in the race, his withdrawal means de Minaur has one less competitor to deal with as he chases a debut in Turin.
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
De Minaur would still need to win the Paris Masters to overtake Holger Rune in eighth position, but he has one less seeded player to worry about. Hubert Hurkacz, Tommy Paul and Casper Ruud can now potentially reach Turin with a finals appearance.
However, all of this scenarios rely on Rune failing early in Paris. Regardless, de Minaur is looking to continue his strong hard court form after he defeated Andy Murray in the first round.
Alex de Minaur defeats Andy Murray in Paris
De Minaur's three-set win over Murray in the first round created history for the Australian. The 24-year-old became the first player to beat Murray five times in succession - a feat that not even all-time greats Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic ever achieved. The latest loss means Murray hasn't won a match at the Paris Masters since winning the event in 2016.
"I'm not really enjoying it just now in terms of how I feel on the court and how I'm playing," Murray said afterwards. "The last five, six months haven't been that enjoyable, so I need to try and find some of that enjoyment back because playing a match like that there's not much positivity there.
"When I play a good point, I'm not really getting behind myself and then in the important moments, that will to win and fight that has always been quite a big, big part of my game. It's not just going to be like one or two weeks of training to get me to where I need to get to, it's going to have to be a lot of work and consistent work to give myself a chance."
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