"To do it against Rafael Nadal in the end, that's like the icing on the cake" - Taylor Fritz on Indian Wells triumph
Taylor Fritz reckons defeating Rafael Nadal in the final of the 2022 Indian Wells Masters is the "icing on the cake" of one of the most important moments of his career. Having grown up watching the Spaniard at the peak of his powers, Fritz was in equal parts happy and astounded that he managed to defeat someone as legendary as Nadal to notch up a big title.
The World No. 20 defeated the 21-time Grand Slam champion 6-3, 7-6(5) to end his 20-match winning streak in 2022. The title marked the 24-year-old's second on the ATP tour and his first at Masters 1000 level. In doing so, Fritz became the first American to win the title in the desert since Andre Agassi in 2001.
California Kid Taylor Fritz ends Rafael Nadal's 20 matches winning streak, beating the 21 times GrandSlam champ 6-3, 7-6(5) to win his first career ATP Masters 1000 title in Indian Wells.
First US player to win a M1000 since Miami2018.
First to win the ATP draw in IW since 2001 https://t.co/OjfokPxR5X
Speaking at his press conference afterwards, Taylor Fritz revealed that Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer were the two tennis players he modeled himself on growing up. Although the American noted that he did not watch much tennis, the sheer number of victories the duo racked up made it impossible for any up-and-coming tennis player during that era to be unaware of their greatness.
"I think to do it against Rafael Nadal in the end, that's like the icing on the cake. It's just insane. [He is] someone that I watched like dominate and win everything," Taylor Fritz said. "Him and Roger [Federer]. When I grew up, I didn't watch a ton of tennis growing up, but it's tough not to know these guys, knowing they're literally winning everything, their Grand Slam finals, all their battles."
Fritz Effing Does It!
Taylor Fritz becomes the first American man to take the title in Indian Wells since Andre Agassi in 2001... beating Rafael Nadal 6-3, 7-6 (5) to do it!
Both Fritz & Nadal struggled with injuries through the match but gave all they had.
Fritz leaps to #13! https://t.co/x43hRQ5utm
The 24-year-old asserted that he was happy to just share the court with both players, and defeating one of them to win a Masters title was enough to send him over the edge. With the win coming in front of his home fans, Fritz was lost for words trying to express the full extent of his emotions.
"It's insane to even be on the same court as these people, much less be able to beat one of them, to win such a big tournament," Fritz said. "To do it here in Indian Wells, as well, [it is] a combination of all these crazy things that I never thought were possible."
"My goal is still to get to the top 10, then after that we'll reevaluate, maybe top 5" - Taylor Fritz
Taylor Fritz also touched upon his future goals during the press conference. Courtesy of the 2022 Indian Wells Masters run, the 24-year-old is guaranteed to reclaim his spot as the top-ranked American player on the ATP tour and rise to a career-high ranking of No. 13.
Taylor Fritz backs it up. Returns to the semifinals at the
@BNPPARIBASOPEN after last year's breakthrough run. Beats Kecmanovic 7-6 (5), 3-6, 6-1 to set up a Saturday match with Andrey Rublev
Win or lose he'll be the No. 1 American again on Monday
#getty https://t.co/pe3FHd2ja6
Fritz remarked that he did not want to get "ahead of" himself after just his first title of the year, and wanted to set his sights on the attainable goal of reaching the top 10 -- a sentiment he has already articulated in the past.
"I don't want to get ahead of myself. I want to take things one step at a time. My goal over the last couple of months has been top 10," Taylor Fritz said. "This obviously helps a lot, helps a lot to kind of put me closer to that goal. That's going to remain the goal for now, [reaching the] top 10."
While he obviously wants to go higher, the World No. 20's immediate focus is on going back to work and getting himself into a position where he can consistently vie for titles against the best players. Once he achieves his aim of breaking into the top 10, Taylor Fritz said he is ready to recalibrate his goals and maybe even shoot for the top five.
"Obviously, I'd love to go way higher than that and achieve way more than that. [The Indian Wells] is just one tournament. Go back to work, never be satisfied with the good results. Just keep wanting more," Fritz said. "My goal is still to get to the top 10, then after that we'll reevaluate. Maybe top five will be after that."