Taylor Fritz said her perseverance and resilience helped her win the Indian Wells title after an ankle injury nearly forced an American out of the final against Rafael Nadal; The 24-year-old has overcome incredible pain and won the Spanish 20-race race.
There were mistakes in both when Fritz took the first set and the two entered the tiebreaker at the end of the second, never losing a single one to Indian Wells this year alone.
But it was the 24-year-old, ranked 20th, who finished 6-3 7-6 (7-5) at No. 4, and Fritz became the first American to win the tournament since Andre Agassi in -2001. .
"This is one of the dreams of children that you think will never come true," said Fritz. “I can't even describe how I can play today.
“I have never been in so much pain in my life before the game.
"If I had known it was going to be this bad, I would not have gotten out of here.
"We did a lot of work before the game and I've been feeling emotional before the game thinking there's no way I can play today."
Nadal respiratory problems
While Fritz suffered from an ankle injury, Nadal was suffering from chest pains that he picked up during a three-final three-year bout with 18-year-old Carlos Alcaraz.
"When I breathe, when I move it is like a needle always inside. I get a little dizzy because it hurts," Nadal said.
"Some pain is very limited. It's not just pain, I don't feel well because it affects my breathing.
"More than sadness about the defeat, (something) I received immediately and before the game was over. I'm suffering a little, really."
Nadal had decided not to play in the Miami Open within the next two seasons and instead will have a short break before the start of the clay court season next month.
Commenting on his first defeat this year: "I wanted to make it perfect before the clay. It was very, very, very good. In fact, I was upset because of the way I could not compete.
"But I'm not the type of person who goes downhill or emotionally uplifted over time.
"Yes, the past two months have been amazing, I will never forget, very touching. I enjoyed things I never thought I would live again a few months ago.
"Now is the time for me to try to solve this problem as soon as possible, to try to start in the mud. The only thing that worries me is what is happening there, all I have to do now is recover and how long it will take."
