'Not timing it correctly': Taylor Fritz opens up about 'really strange' problem after French Open first-round defeat

America’s tennis star Taylor Fritz has admitted that he is feeling ‘really strange’ with his movement on the court during the clay season. The 27-year-old became the most high-profile casualty in the first round of the French Open 2025 as he lost to Germany’s Daniel Altmaier with a score of 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1.

That defeat has extended Fritz’s lean patch at Roland Garros, which remains the only Grand Slam where he has yet to play in the quarterfinals or beyond. The result on Monday was also the first time in more than two years that the reigning world number four suffered a defeat in the first round of a Grand Slam. The last time it happened was back in 2022 during the US Open, when he came second-best against fellow countryman Brandon Holt.

After the match, Fritz spoke to the media and admitted that he is not moving on clay the way he would have liked, something he finds ‘really strange’ and has no idea ‘what’s going on’. The 2024 US Open runner-up stated that when he slides on clay this season, he feels that he is ‘off balance’ or that his timing is incorrect.

“It’s really strange because I feel like since Rome, Geneva and here, my movement on court is really bad. I don’t know what’s going on,” said Fritz. “A lot of times, when I am sliding, I am off balance or not timing it correctly. I am getting wrong-footed a lot, slipping a lot. Funnily enough, it’s like Madrid feels like the only time this whole clay season felt like the only time I was actually moving well on clay. Physically, I don’t feel that bad. I feel pretty, for how I have been most this year, I feel good, I think. I misjudged, for sure, earlier in the week the level my ankle was at. I rolled it in Geneva. Because it felt good for the rest of the match, I didn’t think it was that big of a deal, but it doesn’t feel great. But it’s definitely not the reason why I lost today.”