'I can’t believe it’s real' - Taylor Fritz stunned by beating Rafael Nadal in Indian Wells 'dream' final

An overjoyed Taylor Fritz has spoken of his shock, delight and relief after battling through an ankle injury to beat Rafael Nadal in the final at Indian Wells. Fritz claimed the biggest title of his career to defeat a visibly struggling Nadal and break the Spaniard's perfect start to 2022 in stunning fashion in the ATP showpiece in the desert. Ad/> Nadal, who was the red-hot favourite heading into the final, saw his 20-match streak come to an astonishing halt as the 20th seed claimed a 6-3 7-6 victory to become the first American to lift the trophy since Andre Agassi in 2001.

ATP Indian Wells'I am sad, I am suffering' — Nadal on 'painful' issue after loss in Indian Wells final2 HOURS AGO Fritz, who will climb to a career-high No. 13 in the world as a result of his run in the Californian desert, had been struggling with an ankle injury following his semi-final triumph over Andrey Rublev, and he admitted it had been a major concern in the hours leading up to the biggest match of his life to-date. «This is like one of those childhood dreams you never even think could come true,» Fritz said after the match.

«I just can’t believe it’s real. I can’t even begin to describe how ridiculous it is I could play like I did today [with the ankle]. I’ve never experienced worse pain than that before a match.

I took a couple of changes in direction with my steps and screamed. It was tough. “We did a lot of work on the ankle leading up to the match.

I went through a rollercoaster of emotions thinking there’s no way I can play. Then I went out hitting on the back courts and feeling happy, thinking I can play. It didn’t affect me at all on court, so I couldn’t be happier.” He added: “I’ve lost matches against the big guys my whole life.