In the run-up to the biggest game of his career, Fritz struggled with an ankle injury sustained in his semi-final win over Andrey Rublev, but there were no signs of it hindering him on Sunday.
Fritz, who became the first American to win the title at Indian Wells since Andre Agassi in 2001, now climbs to a career-high No. 8 in the world rankings.
“This is just one of those childhood dreams — especially winning this tournament, Indian Wells — this is one of those childhood dreams that you never thought would come true,” an emotional Fritz said in his court interview. “I just keep saying, ‘No, it’s just not real.’
“I can’t even begin to describe how ridiculous it is that I could play like I did today. I’ve never been in such pain as before a game. I changed direction a few times with my steps and screamed. was difficult.
“We worked a lot on the ankle leading up to the game. I went through a rollercoaster of emotions thinking I can’t play. Then I went out, hit the back lanes and felt happy, thinking I can play It didn’t affect me on the track at all, so I couldn’t be happier,” he added.
“I’ve lost these games against the big boys my whole life, it always felt like they were just unbeatable, so to do it on the biggest stage there’s no other way you know. To win a big title , I feel you have to beat the best and he’s undefeated this year, and of course I hope he’s okay.
“Obviously there are some things going on. I can’t imagine what the body feels like after 20-something matches.”
Nadal entered the final on a 20-game winning streak – his best ever start to the season – including his record-breaking 21st grand slam win at the Australian Open.
However, the 35-year-old similarly struggled with an injury going into Sunday’s final and saw him shiver throughout the match, frequently touching the left side of his torso.
Nadal said he wanted to make his start to the season “perfect” before moving to clay, but an unknown problem with his rib prevented him from performing at his best.
“It [the run] has been very, very beautiful,” he told reporters. “I’m honestly sad because of the way I haven’t been able to compete and it’s hard to have these feelings every day, but especially in a final it’s very ugly.
“In sport it’s not about talking about the past, we have to talk about today and today is a difficult day for me. I have breathing problems, I don’t know if it’s something about the rib, I’m not sure yet and if I breathe and move, it’s like a needle inside all the time and I get a little dizzy because it’s painful.
“It’s the kind of pain that limited me a lot and it’s not just about pain, it’s about not feeling well because it affects my breathing. More than [being] sad to lose, something that I accepted immediately and even before the match ended, the point is that frankly I suffer a little bit.”
