Taylor Fritz booked his spot in the Paris Masters second round after overcoming the challenge of Benjamin Bonzi.
Fritz looked to be in trouble after the first set: he trailed the Frenchman 3-6 and had called a medical timeout.
The American refused to be quelled in the French capital, producing a stirring comeback as he secured a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory.
Following Tuesday’s contest, Fritz discussed the reason behind his medical timeout at the end of the first set.
Taylor Fritz reveals injury concern that has plagued him since the Lyon Open
Fritz competed at the Lyon Open between October 22 and 25 – he advanced to the final before losing to Lorenzo Musetti, who won his first ATP Tour title since 2022 and only his third overall.
It seems Fritz has been dealing with a physical issue since competing in the French city.
“It has been something I have been feeling since Lyon actually. Sometimes when I am hitting cutter serves, it happens on the T on the ad side, sometimes when I snap my elbow it hurts in the back when I full straighten on it.
Which ATP player do you think will win the 2026 Paris Masters title?
“I felt it the second game that I served and I didn’t call the trainer immediately because I thought it would warm up, as it has in the past.
“So I called in the first set but it felt good after that. It’s something I have been feeling off and on. Some serves I feel it and sometimes I don’t, but it’s a sharp pain so I get scared to serve sometimes when I feel like it is there.”
This is far from the first physical issue Fritz has dealt with during the 2026 campaign.
Fritz developed chronic knee tendonities during the 2025 offseason and that issue has troubled him throughout 2026 – even forcing the American to miss the majority of the clay-court swing.
Fritz refused to dwell on his injury concerns while speaking to the Tennis Channel, instead moving swiftly on from the subject.
“I felt like I came out wanting to attack and go after his forehand but he was crushing his forehand. I was like this is is not it at all! I thought that would be the game plan but it was not at all. He was dominating me with his forehand,” Fritz said of Bonzi.
“I told myself I need to serve well enough not to get broken. I felt like he was leaning a lot on my flat serve, so I started serving a lot of sliders and I told myself I am going to keep doing it until he shows me that he is going to cover it.
Taylor Fritz’s projected path to the Paris Masters title
- R1: defeated Benjamin Bonzi
- R2: Alex Molcan
- R3: Arthur Fils
- QF: Carlos Alcaraz
- SF: Daniil Medvedev
- F: Alexander Zverev
“I think is something that helped me hold a lot easier and I played more with my backhand and not worried about his backhand supposedly being his stronger side.
“I just wanted to play my game and also get used to the speed. It’s a big turnaround. I had one day to practice, the court is a lot faster than last week, so just naturally playing someone who already played two matches in qualies, he is used to it and I’m not.”
Fritz will continue his Paris Masters campaign later this week against qualifier Alex Molcan.
Fritz won their only previous match on the ATP Tour, triumphing 6-4, 6-1, 7-6 in the 2022 Wimbledon third round.
If Fritz advances to the third round in Paris, he will likely face Cincinnati Open champion Arthur Fils.
Taylor Fritz discusses Ben Shelton and Jannik Sinner’s recent coaching hires
Ben Shelton and Jannik Sinner have both made significant coaching changes in recent weeks.
Sinner is set to replace Darren Cahill with Magnus Norman, who has enjoyed great success with Robin Soderling and Stan Wawrinka in the past.
Shelton has called upon the services of Juan Carlos Ferrero, who worked with Carlos Alcaraz for seven years before parting ways in December 2025.
“I didn’t have much of a reaction at all to be honest,” Fritz said of the coaching changes.
“A little [surprised]. But I don’t know, that’s their thing and we’ll see how it works out. I didn’t really put too much thought into it.”
