"Sad way to end the season" - Taylor Fritz's girlfriend Morgan Riddle on the American's Paris Masters withdrawal

Taylor Fritz's girlfriend Morgan Riddle has expressed her disappointment at the American's withdrawal from the 2023 Paris Masters due to an abdominal strain.

Fritz had an unfortunate end to his 2023 Paris Masters campaign as he withdrew from the tournament before his second-round match due to an abdominal injury. The 26-year-old, who is ranked No. 10 in the world, had a chance to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, but the withdrawal put his hopes in jeopardy.

Fritz, seeded ninth in the tournament, had won his first-round match against Sebastian Baez in straight sets (6-1, 6-4) but he received treatment for abdominal pain during the second set. The American announced his withdrawal from the tournament on Tuesday, ahead of his second-round match against Daniel Altmaier.

Fritz said that while he was disappointed to end his season like this, he had to listen to his body and take care of his health. He also thanked his fans for their support and said that he would be back stronger.

"Devastated to have to pull out with so much on the line. All I wanted was the chance to fight for my potential Turin spot but after getting scans today on my oblique it’s just not possible for me to play. Time to rehab and hope to be back on court as soon as I can be," Fritz wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

Riddle took to social media to express her frustration and sadness at the unexpected turn of events.

"Taylor has pulled out of Paris with an abdominal injury, sad way to end the season, and bummed it was a short trip. Typical unpredictability of the sport (lol @ my YouTube video I posted this week with a million outfits). We’re heading home for an early start to the off-season," Riddle wrote on Instagram.

Taylor Fritz's girlfriend Morgan Riddle on Instagram

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How Taylor Fritz lost his momentum following quarterfinal run at the 2023 US Open

Taylor Fritz at the 2023 Shanghai Rolex Masters

Taylor Fritz appeared poised to qualify for the ATP Finals in Turin after reaching the quarterfinals of the US Open. He beat Steve Johnson, Juan Pablo Varillas, Jakub Mensik, and Dominic Stricker at Flushing Meadows before bowing out to eventual winner Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals.

However, the American's form nosedived after that, with three consecutive losses to lower-ranked opponents in his next three tournaments. He lost to Diego Schwartzman at the Shanghai Masters, Shintaro Mochizuki at the Japan Open, and Alexander Shevchenko at the Swiss Indoors Basel.

Fritz made his first ATP Finals appearance last year as the eighth seed. He beat Rafael Nadal, Casper Ruud and Felix Auger-Aliassime in the group stage but fell to Djokovic in the semifinals.

The field for the 2023 ATP Finals has started taking shape, with five players already qualified. Three spots are still up for grabs, with plenty of players in the fray.

Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Jannik Sinner, and Andrey Rublev have all secured their places, while Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev, and Holger Rune are currently on track to complete the lineup.