"Pretty embarrassing to throw up on court" - Taylor Fritz looks back on grueling Mexican Open match vs Tommy Paul, recounts 'one of the worst nights'
Taylor Fritz reacted to a worrying moment on the court during his Mexican Open semi-final against Tommy Paul last week, during which Fritz threw up on the court while battling against extreme heat conditions and severe cramping. Fritz revealed that it was a first for him to throw up mid-match, and joked that it was also a highly embarrassing moment.
Paul beat Fritz 6-3, 6-7(2), 7-6(2) in a match that ended up being the longest in the history of the Mexican Open. At one stage during the match, a visibly uncomfortable Fritz abruptly walked away towards his chair, where he vomited in a bucket. Fritz was taken to the hospital after the match, where it was revealed that he suffered from severe dehydration and full body cramping.
Luckily, the grueling match did not dent Fritz's Indian Wells campaign, where the defending champion beat compatriot Ben Shelton 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 on Saturday in his first match since Acapulco. Speaking after the match, Fritz reflected on the throwing up incident.
"That was pretty embarrassing to throw up on the court," Taylor Fritz told Tennis Channel. "The crazy thing is I've never in my life thrown up from any kind of physical activity. That's the first time ever."
Fritz further reflected on "one of the worst nights" he has experienced, giving an account of the difficulties he faced throughout the night after the match against Paul.
"That was one of the worst nights probably, after the match," Fritz stated.
The 25-year-old revealed that he almost passed out while in the shower soon after the match and could not even digest the fluids he was consuming to get over dehydration. He was eventually released from the hospital early in the morning after getting an injection.
"I tried to get into the shower. Sometimes that helps me not full body cramp...I basically just collapsed in the shower, I went to the ground and felt like I was going to pass out," Fritz continued.
"I went through this cycle the next four hours where I just full body cramp everywhere, I tried to get some fluids in me and threw it all up, and then start cramping again."
"I was suprised that I actually ended up not even being that sore the next day" - Taylor Fritz on his recovery after Mexican Open
After a challenging night, Taylor Fritz was surprised by how quickly he was able to overcome the situation in Acapulco. The World No. 5 revealed that he did not even feel very sore the next day and returned to training within two days as he began preparations for his Indian Wells title defense.
"I was suprised that I actually ended up not even being that sore the next day and I was able to get back to training two days later. So, I felt a lot better after that than I thought I would," Taylor Fritz admitted.
Meanwhile, courtesy of his second-round Indian Wells win against a tough opponent in Shelton, Fritz moved into the Round of 32, where he will take on Argentina's Sebastian Baez. If he beats Baez, the fourth seed will face either Alex Molcan or Marton Fucsovics in the Round of 16, with a quarter-final clash against seventh seed Holger Rune also on the cards.
Fritz won the Delray Beach Open in February for his first title of the 2023 season.