World No. 7 Taylor Fritz has withdrawn from the upcoming Monte-Carlo Masters 1000 event because of ongoing knee tendinitis. The injury, which has troubled him since early 2025, forced the decision after his third-round loss at the Miami Open. Fritz aims to prioritize recovery ahead of the grass-court season.
Taylor Fritz, ranked seventh in the world, announced his withdrawal from the Monte-Carlo Masters 1000, scheduled for April 5-12, citing knee tendinitis that has plagued him since early 2025. The American becomes the second top-10 player to skip the clay-court event, following Ben Shelton, according to a post from Univers Tennis on March 26. Fritz's recent third-round defeat to Jiri Lehecka at the Miami Open in three sets highlighted his struggles, where he won only 72% of first-serve points—a dip for a player typically elite in that statistic. The injury has progressed from manageable post-match pain to difficulty bending his knee, impacting his serve severely. Fritz described the inconsistency: “I’m still managing my knee. Some days it’s better than others... In Dallas, it felt amazing... then, in the lead-in to Indian Wells, it wasn’t.” In 2026, he reached the Australian Open fourth round, losing to Lorenzo Musetti in straight sets, and made the Dallas Open final, but managed just two wins combined at Delray Beach and Indian Wells. He and coach Michael Russell decided post-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.” Clay is Fritz's weakest surface at a 56.5% win rate, compared to 64.8% on grass, where he has claimed five of his 10 ATP titles. Last year, despite the injury, he won Stuttgart and Eastbourne, reached Wimbledon semifinals against Carlos Alcaraz, and qualified for ATP Finals in Turin, where his knee felt “completely cooked” after another Alcaraz match. Fritz expressed reluctance over missing ranking points: “I hate being in a spot where people are picking up points, and I’m not giving myself an opportunity... I hate kind of having to play catch-up.” He now focuses on full recovery for June's grass season, starting at Stuttgart.