Taylor Fritz’s 2026 season has kicked off with more questions than answers, as lingering knee tendinitis continues to cast a shadow over his start to the year. The concern flared up again at the United Cup in Perth, where Fritz opened his campaign against Sebastian Baez and came up short in a hard-fought 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 loss that stretched over two hours and 33 minutes and threatened to derail his start to the season.

After the match, Fritz was seen speaking with the tournament director, and with the Australian Open looming, the world No. 6 has hinted that he could step away from his remaining matches if the knee doesn’t respond.

“This is not how I want to start the year,” Fritz admitted afterward. “I felt a bit rusty. He raised his level, especially in the third set, but also at times in the second.

Taylor Fritz’s knee troubles have been an ongoing issue throughout the 2025 season that flared up and down. After his loss to Carlos Alcaraz at the ATP Finals, he revealed that the pain had gotten worse, with it being difficult to play on back-to-back days without aggravating it. The issue seems only to have carried over to the current season:

“I still have pretty serious tendonitis, and that’s something that takes a really long time to get rid of. The demands of playing make it a lot harder to get rid of it, but at the same time, I don’t really want to go full stop for four months to try to get it better when I feel like I can sometimes play through it,” said Fritz after the loss to Baez.

That reality showed early in the season, as Fritz looked rusty despite flashes of strong tennis. However, against Báez, Fritz actually started well. He controlled the opening set with solid serving and aggressive returning, breaking at love to wrap it up quickly. But as the match dragged on, Báez stayed steady, raised his level, and eventually turned the momentum, while Fritz appeared to fade physically.

Now, because of the lingering issue, reports suggest Taylor Fritz has already pulled out of the mixed doubles event to give his knee some rest ahead of the Australian Open. His participation in Team USA’s final round-robin tie against Spain remains uncertain, with the bigger picture clearly in mind.

Moreover, with Melbourne just two weeks away, Fritz admitted he’s racing the clock. “I just need to play points and be healthy; that is the most important,” he said. “I spent most, practically the entire preseason, rehabilitating my knee tendinopathy, but it takes months and months to improve. I couldn’t play many points because I try not to push myself too much.”

With Fritz unwilling to take time off and risk his ranking points and standing on the tour, it is, as he says, “going to be a battle” to play matches, manage pain, and continue rehab at the same time. But while he’s trying to stay patient and build a base for recovery, his frustration showed during the loss in Perth.

Taylor Fritz smashes racket as injury woes spark United Cup loss

Sebastián Báez arrived in Perth with a tough stat line, having gone just 1-18 against Top 10 players, but that record didn’t matter once play began at the United Cup. He flipped the script with a statement win over Taylor Fritz, putting the defending champions on alert and opening his 2026 season with a confidence-boosting upset.

Although Fritz looked in control early and even celebrated prematurely, at one point flashing the “too small” gesture toward Báez. But the match quickly turned into a grind, full of momentum shifts. Báez stayed composed, rallied from a set down, and closed out the win in 2 hours and 33 minutes.

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The American did plenty right, especially on serve. He hammered 23 aces to Baez’s 4 and was nearly untouchable behind his first serve, often forcing Baez into defensive positions. The trouble came on his second serve, where he was broken four times and struggled once rallies stretched longer.

Báez, meanwhile, was steady when it mattered most. Serving at 75 percent, the Argentine saved eight of 11 break points and refused to blink under pressure, coming back from a first-set deficit. Even when Fritz pushed early in sets, Báez stayed patient to notch his first win against Fritz in six matches.

On the other hand, the frustration of letting the match go was visible on Fritz as he smashed his racket after losing the final point.

But for Baez, before taking down the world No. 6, his best win by ranking was over then-No. 8 Andrey Rublev in Bastad back in 2022. He backed up his Perth breakthrough with an earlier win over Jaume Munar, giving him a strong start to 2026. Now, attention shifts to whether Taylor Fritz can heal up, regain rhythm, and make the most of the season ahead.