Rafael Nadal's unbeaten run in 2022 is over after he was beaten by Taylor Fritz in the final of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.
Nadal went into the clash having prevailed in all of his 20 matches played this year, a streak which incorporated his remarkable Australian Open win. But it was Fritz who came out on fire, winning the first four games before his opponent was forced to leave the court with breathing problems.
Fritz, 24, kept his focus to take the first set 6-3, and then at 5-5 in the second, came the defining moment. Nadal failed to convert two break points and after the American eventually held his service, he duly broke the icon in the next one to seal glory.
In doing so, Fritz became the first US player to capture the tournament since Andre Agassi in 2001. He had only been seeded 20th beforehand.
However, Fritz arrived in California off the back of a good display of his own in Melbourne, reaching the last 16 of a Grand Slam for the first time. Having reached the final four at Indian Wells, he then turned in an impressive display to beat no 7 seed Andrey Rublev in straight sets.
But it then emerged he had suffered an ankle injury in that clash, casting doubt over his place in the final. After his landmark victory though, Fritz insisted that the issue had nor adversely affected him once he stepped on court.
"I can't even begin to describe how ridiculous it is to play, how I could play today, I've never experienced worse pain like I did before the match," he was quoted as saying by BBC Sport. "I took a couple of steps and screamed.
"I was trying to act tough and we did a lot of work leading up to the match. I was really upset, basically almost crying because I thought I was going to have to pull out.
"I went through a rollercoaster of emotion and all of a sudden being really happy thinking maybe I can play, but it didn't affect me at all. This is one of those childhood dreams you never even think will come true."
Fritz made just 22 unforced errors in comparison to the 34 tellingly made by Nadal. However, having won the Melbourne Summer Set, Australian Open, and Mexican Open this year, the defeat hardly represents a crisis for the 21-time Slam winner.
However, he did reference the breathing issues which seemingly plagued him early on. "It's tough for me to breathe. When I try to breathe, it's painful and it's very uncomfortable," he said.
"When I'm breathing, when I'm moving it's like a needle all the time inside here. I get dizzy a little bit because it's painful - it's a kind of pain that limits me a lot."
