On a day when ailing ankles and painful pectorals weighed as heavily as forehands and backhands, Taylor Fritz won a battle of the walking wounded to end Rafael Nadal’s unbeaten start to the season and claim the biggest title of his career in Indian Wells.
For Fritz, born a couple of hours’ drive away in San Diego, it was a case of local boy made good as he became the first American man to triumph in the California desert since Andre Agassi in 2001. That outcome seemed unlikely when the 24-year-old, whose only previous title came in Eastbourne three years ago, pulled up sharply and promptly abandoned a practice session on Sunday morning. As the seriousness of an ankle injury he had suffered in the final game of his semi-final victory over Andrey Rublev became apparent, the buzz around the Indian Wells Tennis Garden was that the men’s final was off.
In the event, however, Fritz – his ankle numbed and his team’s advice to pull out ignored – rose to the occasion magnificently, pummelling forehands, serving with pace and precision and never allowing his self-belief to waver as he set about realising what he would later call “a wild dream you never expect to actually happen”.
“I really felt a lot better,” said Fritz, describing how he defied the wishes of his team after later returning to the practice court having received treatment.
“I just told them, ‘Look, like, maybe we make it worse, maybe we don’t, but I came this far. The way it feels right now, I’d be thinking about it for a long time if I don’t at least go out and try to play.’ That’s what I told them.
“They said they didn’t agree, but they’d back my decision. I apologised to them for being so incredibly stubborn. In the end, I am glad I made this decision… I went out there and I seriously played the match with zero pain.”
The same could not be said for Nadal. As Fritz reeled off the first four games, it quickly became apparent that all was not well with the Spaniard, who was unable to drive through his forehand and struggled to extend his arm away from his body on serve, limiting his placement options.
“Probably the worst I’ve ever seen Rafa on a court,” said former world No 4 Greg Rusedksi, who revealed that Nadal had expressed doubts over whether he would be able to play following the pectoral injury he suffered in the latter stages of his epic semi-final over teenage compatriot Carlos Alcaraz. “Not even at 50%,” agreed Mark Petchey, working alongside Rusedksi for Amazon Prime Sport.
“When I try to breathe, it’s painful and it’s very uncomfortable,” said Nadal, who had pulled out of this week’s Miami Open even before his latest injury setback.
“When I’m breathing, when I’m moving, it’s like a needle all the time inside here, no? I get dizzy a little bit because it’s painful. It’s a kind of pain that limits me a lot. It is not only about pain, I don’t feel very well because it affects my [ability] to breathe.”
Nadal has also been suffering pain from the chronic foot problem that forced him to miss virtually the entire second half of last season, and when he left the court for treatment at the end of the first set, it seemed plausible he would not be back. But for his close friendship with Larry Ellison, the software billionaire who owns the tournament and hosts the Spaniard during the event at his 230-acre estate in Rancho Mirage, perhaps he would not have done.
Yet Nadal is hardwired to fight in the face of adversity, and it came as no surprise when he returned to the fray, ready to give whatever he had left to the pursuit of a fourth successive title. That turned out to be considerably more than most onlookers expected. Although he was unable to consolidate an early break, Nadal began to swing a little more freely.
When the Spaniard lined up a meat-and-drink drive volley at 5-4 in the tiebreak, having saved a match point three games earlier, a deciding set looked inevitable. Remarkably, though, he missed, granting Fritz a reprieve of which he took full advantage.
“I just kept telling myself there’s no reason why I can’t win this. I just kept telling myself that I can do it,” said Fritz, whose father Guy told him years ago that he would one day win the event. “This is seriously like a childhood dream come true.”
For Nadal, the defeat ends a hugely successful three-month period that brought a record 21st grand slam at the Australian Open in January as well as the Melbourne Summer Set and Mexican Open titles. His Indian Wells campaign has been arduous however, with the 35-year-old enduring gruelling three-setters against Sebastian Korda, Nick Kyrgios and Alcaraz. His thoughts will now turn to rest and recuperation ahead of the clay-court season.
“I wanted to make it perfect before clay, no?” said Nadal after his unbeaten run ended at 20 victories. “The last two months that I have had have been amazing, unforgettable, very emotional. I enjoyed things that I never thought I could live again a few months ago.”