"Courts are actually as fast as they always are" - Taylor Fritz differs from Daniil Medvedev's opinion on Shanghai Masters surface

Taylor Fritz recently expressed his disagreement with Daniil Medvedev over his view that hardcourts at the Shanghai Masters are slower than the ones at Indian Wells.

After his straight-set win over Cristian Garin in Shanghai on Saturday, October 7, Medvedev remarked that the pace of the court felt less than the hardcourts of Indian Wells.

"To go back-to-back tournaments so fast, different balls, different surface so that’s very tricky. Before was one of the probably the fastest on tour. Now I don’t know what’s slower… here or Indian Wells," he said in an on-court interview.

Fritz, however, stated that it was not about the court but it was the new set of balls (Wilson All Tour) that was responsible for the slow pace.

"Courts are actually as fast as they always are…. The ball we switched to this week is just really slow," Fritz said in a post on X (formely Twitter).

Top players, including Frtiz and Medvedev, have voiced their discontent over using different types of balls across tournaments. During the China Open last week, Medvedev compared the balls used there (Head Tour) to grapefruits.

“As soon as you play some shots with them, they go very big, much… it becomes like a grapefruit,” he said after downing Alex de Minaur.

Even though Fritz didn't compete in Beijing, he also expressed similar views.

"Have been dealing w wrist issues since beginning of USO series cause of ball changes. We went 3 different balls in 3 weeks," the American said in a social media post.

Taylor Fritz on his win against Yosuke Watanuki: "It was tough for me to play my game"

Taylor Fritz in action: 2023 Shanghai Masters

Taylor Fritz played a grueling contest against Yosuke Watanuki in the second round of the 2023 Shanghai Masters. The duo battled it out for two hours and 33 minutes before the American secured the match with a 7-6(2), 6-7(6), 6-4 scoreline.

Fritz suggested that his Watanuki committed fewer mistakes for the majority of the tie.

"It came down to the smallest margins. To be honest, it just came down to me upping it just a bit in the end and then him making mistakes when prior he wasn't really doing much wrong," he said during the on-court interview.

Watanuki smashed 53 winners and 19 aces which kept the World No. 8 on his toes throughout the match.

"It was tough for me to play my game because no matter what shot I hit, he just blasted a winner or missed off of it. So I was just fighting to stay in it," Fritz added.

Fritz is also taking part in the men's doubles at the Shanghai Masters, partnering with compatriot Sebastian Korda. They will face the French pair of Fabien Reboul and Sadio Doumbia in a Round of 32 clash on Sunday, October 8.