American tennis player Taylor Fritz stated on July 27, 2026, in Washington, D. C.
, that he regrets not addressing his recurring knee tendinitis earlier in 2025 as he prepares for the Washington Open.
The 28-year-old world No. 10 enters the ATP 500 tournament as the third seed following a quarterfinal exit at Wimbledon against Alexander Zverev, where his ongoing knee condition resurfaced.
Fritz is set to face Belgian player Zizou Bergs in his opening match on Monday, July 27, with a potential second-round match against compatriot Tommy Paul.
Reflecting on Injury Management
Reflecting on the initial stages of his injury during a pre-tournament press conference, Fritz admitted that early intervention could have prevented severe complications.
"No. Honestly, no," said Fritz, when asked if he wished he had done anything differently regarding his knee injury.
"I'd say the only thing would be way earlier on, like 2025 Australia when I first started feeling like the signs of the tendinitis, maybe just from that moment on got more just on, like, I guess the rehab work and the protocol."
The American detailed how continuing to play through early symptoms aggravated the tendon over time.
"I think I let it get too bad before I fully started doing all of the stuff I needed to do to strengthen the tendon and deal with tendinitis.
Part of that is because when I was partially into it, I felt like when I would do the protocol, it would actually make it worse, and it would irritate it more for my matches, so I felt like I was just trying to play through," stated Fritz.
Despite the persistent physical setback, Fritz noted that a better approach at the onset might have altered his trajectory.
"I played well the majority [of the] second half of the 2025 season, but yeah, if I could go back, I think from the beginning of 2025 I would just start doing all of the tendinitis protocol stuff that I do now, and I probably could have prevented it from getting really, really bad," added Fritz.
2026 Performance and Recovery
During the 2026 season, Fritz reached three tour-level finals in Dallas, Stuttgart, and Halle, finishing as runner-up in each.
His Grand Slam results include fourth and first-round exits at the Australian Open and Roland Garros, alongside his Wimbledon quarterfinal appearance, leaving him ranked 15th or 16th in the Race to Turin as reported by Tennis TV.
Addressing his performance during an interview with Tennis TV, Fritz provided a direct evaluation of his year so far.
"It's not been great, I think," said Fritz. "I think all things considered, it's fine.
I dealt with, obviously, the knee a lot. Could obviously have a title or two this year, unfortunately."
Fritz highlighted specific matches where he felt a victory was within reach despite his physical limitations.
"I think, especially in probably the Dallas final, I played well enough to where I would have liked to get that," mentioned Fritz.
He further remarked on his recovery during the grass-court swing after choosing to skip the clay-court season.
"But three finals, two of them 500s in a year that I've been struggling a lot with the knee.
It's not bad in the end," said Fritz.
"I had a really good grass court season to kind of rebound my year, I'd say, after skipping clay."
Fritz expressed cautious optimism regarding his standing in the ATP Tour standings for the remainder of the year.
"So all things considered, I think I'm like, I don't even know, 15 or 16 in the race [to Turin].
I think I'm in an okay spot if I can be healthy and play well the rest of the year," stated Fritz.
He also expanded on his current recovery routine and the physical management required for his tendonitis.
"I've talked a lot about the knee," said Fritz. "I think after just having some time off, it starts to feel better."
Fritz noted that daily rehabilitation remains a necessity as he navigates the North American hard-court swing.
"It's going to continue to keep getting stronger as I keep working on it, doing my rehab.
I do it every single day, and keep strengthening it," noted Fritz. "So at a certain point, it can get irritated when I'm playing a lot of tennis.
But at the end of the day, I'd rather be playing and it gets to that point, then it gets to that point."
He concluded his update by explaining the long-term timeline required for full tendon recovery.
"But, you know, it's only really a temporary situation until I am able to get the tendon strong enough to handle all the load, and it takes time.
Tendons take a long time," concluded Fritz.
Fritz carries a 1-0 head-to-head record against his first-round opponent Bergs, having previously defeated him during the grass-court season prior to their matchup in Washington.
