"It was slippery... I was slipping a lot" - Taylor Fritz blames lack of clay on court for affecting movement during Madrid SF loss to Andrey Rublev

After his semifinal loss to Andrey Rublev, Taylor Fritz claimed the density of clay on the Center Court was different compared to the other courts at the 2024 Madrid Open.

Rublev defeated Fritz comfortably 6-4, 6-3 in the semifinal and will face Felix Auger-Aliassime in the final on Sunday. The American, however, was disappointed by the differences in the courts at the tournament.

At the La Caja Magica, there are three stadiums under one structure. The Manolo Santana Stadium, which is the Center Court, Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario Stadium, and Stadium 3. According to Fritz, Arantxa Sanchez and Stadium 3 were faster.

"When I was playing on I guess Arantxa Sanchez [Vicario] and Stadium 3. I feel like, for sure, it's faster in there it's bouncing higher in there. Center court's definitely slower and it was pretty slippery as well," Fritz said during his post-match press conference.

The American also mentioned that he faced difficulties in serving because of the discrepancy.

"I wish I would have served a lot better. I've been serving well all week, I didn't serve well and I just felt very, like I said, I felt like the court was, I know for a fact that there's not as much clay on Center than all the other courts."

"I can literally, when I'm taking little steps I can hear my feet squeaking because it's hitting like the hard surface underneath the clay... I wanted to take some pretty, like, aggressive steps to get back into the court I was just slipping a lot," he added.

(Watch from 10:00 minutes)

Fritz (7) had more aces than Rublev (5) in the 2024 Madrid Open semifinal. The American made no double faults either, compared to the Russian's three. However, Rublev won 83% of his first serve points in comparison to Fritz's 69%.

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Taylor Fritz targets a deep run at the upcoming Italian Open 2024

Taylor Fritz at the Mutua Madrid Open

Very few American tennis stars have enjoyed their time on clay like Taylor Fritz has been doing. However, he still does not believe he is a favorite to bag the upcoming 2024 Italian Open in Rome.

"I wouldn't go as far as say I'm a favorite to like win the tournament but, I think I've been playing good on, I've been playing well on clay. So, yeah I think I'm a dangerous person in the draw and there's potential for me to go deep, I just need to keep playing," Fritz said during the post-match conference.

Taylor Fritz will be looking to continue his fine form on clay and replicate it at the upcoming Roland Garros. Fritz is targeting a deep run in Rome which could help him build enough confidence for a strong performance in Paris.