Coach Michael Russell Russell says Taylor Fritz believes he can beat Rafael Nadal and warned the Spaniard that the American has won his last eight matches. In the Indian Wells Masters final, Fritz stunned Nadal 6-3 7-6 (5) to win his maiden Masters title and become the first player in 2022 to beat the Spaniard.
Fritz and Nadal stand at 1-1 in their head-to-head record as the Spaniard beat the American in the 2020 Acapulco final. “That’s (the victory in Indian Wells) a huge confidence booster, to have that win in his belt, in a final on such a big occasion.
He needs to use that confidence and belief when he steps on court tomorrow,” Russell told the ATP website.
Russell warns Nadal that Fritz has been playing great
The week before Wimbledon, Fritz made it all the way on the grass courts of Eastbourne.
Now at Wimbledon, Fritz has made the quarterfinal without a dropped set in four matches played. Russell acknowledged the conditions will be different this time but still he believes Fritz can come out on top against Nadal.
“It’s completely different conditions. You have a Grand Slam, you have a grass court, which is a different surface. You have three out of five sets and a different ball as well, there are a lot of variables. But with that being said, it’s still the same player.
You have that confidence that you beat him in Indian Wells and you need to take that with you into the match and get ready for a battle,” Russell added. “Rafa is one of the fittest if not the fittest player on Tour and obviously he’s won the most Grand Slam titles of anybody, so he’s going to have a tonne of confidence.
But at the same time, Taylor’s coming in with a tonne of confidence on the grass, winning Eastbourne and four straight matches here without losing a set. So I’m just looking forward to it. It’s going to be a good battle and of course I hope Taylor comes out on the other side as the winner.”
