"I feel like I'm at the tri-wizard tournament" - Taylor Fritz's girlfriend Morgan Riddle in awe of musical performance at ATP Finals
Eighth seed Taylor Fritz defeated World No. 2 and top seed Rafael Nadal in his opening match at the 2022 ATP Finals on Sunday.
The American was efficient from start to finish as he overcame the challenge of the 22-time Grand Slam champion in straight sets, 7-6(3), 6-1, and got his second win over Nadal this season.
Fritz's girlfriend, Morgan Riddle, took to her Instagram stories to marvel at a musical performance ahead of the Fritz-Nadal encounter.
"I feel like I'm at the tri-wizard tournament," wrote Riddle.
"I'm super happy to just get the chance to play here" - Taylor Fritz
Taylor Fritz got the opportunity to compete at the ATP Finals after the withdrawal of World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz due to an abdominal injury.
In his post-match presser, Fritz expressed joy at being able to compete in Turin rather than end his season on a disappointing note in Paris, adding that beating Nadal gave him a lot of confidence.
"It feels great. I'm super happy to just get the chance to play here," Fritz said. "It's a much better way of ending my year than how I went out in Paris. It could have been the end of my year. Gives me a lot of confidence to come back, play a really good match, and beat someone like Rafa."
"Yeah, it's great to be here even playing this tournament. Then to come out and win is even better. I think coming out first match, especially I wanted first goal to make it out of the group, obviously. It was a super important match in terms of that," he continued. "It would have been a rough spot to lose and feel like I have to win out my next two matches if I want a chance to make it out."
Fritz also spoke about his ability to raise his level against top players.
"I think I like it more because when I play the top guys, I just always play better tennis because I know I need to. I know I'm not going to get away with anything less than my best tennis. When I have those shots on the court, 'should I go for it', I'm pulling the trigger more," he added.