Taylor Fritz has postponed his 2026 clay-court season to address his lingering knee injury. The American received backing from Andy Roddick, who suggested that, if he’s hurting, he should avoid competing on the surface altogether.
Andy Roddick Offers Advice to Taylor Fritz
Fritz has withdrawn from the upcoming Monte-Carlo Masters. He has no points to defend at the tournament, courtesy of his absence in 2025. The American’s decision comes as no surprise. He had provided an advance notice about his potential withdrawal before the Miami Open.
“This is kind of the cut-off. We said, after Miami, if we’re not seeing big improvements, it might be time to just, like, slow down a bit on the playing and get it healed 100 percent,” he said in one of his press conferences.
On the Q&Andy episode of the Served podcast, Roddick explained why skipping the clay-court tournaments would be beneficial to the fellow American.
“I’ve given Taylor a lot of credit for being just a workhorse. He shows up every week, and unlike a lot of people who show up every week, he competes every week. The guy’s an uber-professional. But also, if you have a lingering knee issue, you take the time during the parts of the year where you’re probably going to be the least successful.”
MORE: Taylor Fritz Stays True to His Words on Injury by Scrapping Monte-Carlo Plans
Fritz is one of the few top players who competes week in, week out. His coach, Michael Russell, explained that he “enjoys the competition more than training.” The American also has a history of competing through injury. He won his maiden Masters 1000 title at the 2022 Indian Wells Open by battling an ankle injury in his final against Rafael Nadal. Over the last few months, Fritz has played through knee and oblique injuries.
Despite his early exits in March, Roddick had no objection to the 28-year-old’s Sunshine Double participation, considering hardcourt is his favored surface. “Is it smart to play through at Indian Wells and Miami? Yeah, probably. Your likelihood of playing through that there and getting a result (is high). It didn’t work out for him because there’s no script in tennis.”
The former World No. 1, however, insisted that Fritz should extend his clay-court absence to ensure a full recovery. “If I had something bothering me, I was more likely to try to heal it during the part of the season that was the biggest struggle for me, not only style-wise, but physically on a knee. If you’re not a natural mover, you can put more stress on the body that way. I think if Taylor’s hurt, this is a no-brainer for him to take off this part of the year.”
Fritz has not won a single title on clay. The 2024 Bavarian Open remains his only final on the surface to date. He’s found some success at Masters 1000 events, having made the semifinals in Monte-Carlo (2023) and Madrid (2024) and the quarterfinals in Rome (2024).
