Watch: Taylor Fritz showcases unique fitness training methods during recent quarantine in Korea, lifts his girlfriend like weights
Taylor Fritz raced to the title at the 2022 Tokyo Open, beating Frances Tiafoe in straight sets in the final. Facing off against his compatriot on Sunday, Fritz wrapped up the contest with two tiebreaker wins, taking home the trophy with a 7-6(3), 7-6(2) scoreline.
The triumph, remarkable as it is, becomes all the more extraordinary when the fact that the American was sick from COVID only last week is taken into consideration. Having traveled to Seoul to take part in the Korea Open, the World No. 11 tested positive on arrival and had to pull out of the tournament, and was struck in quarantine for a week.
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After his title run in Japan, Fritz's girlfriend Morgan Riddle took to Instagram to share a video from their time in quarantine, where he was seen passing his time by lifting her like weights.
Riddle followed it up with a photo of the pair embracing after his win over Tiafoe, showcasing the incredible rollercoaster of emotions the 24-year-old went through in the last two weeks and a testament to his mental fortitude.
Taylor Fritz to rise to World No. 8 after Tokyo win
As a result of his title run at the 2022 Tokyo Open, Taylor Fritz will break into the Top-10 of the ATP rankings for the first time in his career. On Monday, the American will begin his reign as the new World No. 8, the first time an Amercian has been in the Top-10 since 2017.
Speaking in his on-court interview afterward, Fritz was elated at putting his COVID diagnosis behind him with a stronger performance, remarking that it felt good to prove to himself that he had the required elite mentality when the situation called for it.
Yeah. I mean, turning such a bad situation where I was, you know, didn't even know if I was going to be able to play this tournament. And if I wasn't able to play, it would have to be after being in a hotel room for seven days, having COVID and then taking a flight in the morning of," Taylor Fritz said. "So turning a situation like that into a title and doing it when it has such an important impact on the race, it just feels good to kind of clutch up and do something big like this."
The 24-year-old has also moved into the No. 7 spot in the ATP Race to Turin, just ahead of Felix Auger-Aliassime and Hubert Hurkacz, and has provisionally booked his place in the Year-end Championships.