Knee, oblique injuries contribute to Taylor Fritz defeat vs. Lorenzo Musetti at Australian Open

MELBOURNE, Australia—Taylor Fritz exited the 2026 Australian Open under a major injury cloud on Monday, confirming a recurrence of past knee and oblique injuries contributed to a 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 defeat against Lorenzo Musetti.

Fritz started the year playing through visible discomfort in his right knee due to a bout of tendonitis but had settled into a groove until the end of the Australian Open’s first week. The injury unfortunately flared up over four sets against Stan Wawrinka in the fourth round on Saturday and persisted against the fifth-seeded Musetti, who booked a quarterfinal clash with 10-time champion Novak Djokovic.

The No. 9 seed further confirmed pain in his oblique, for which he underwent two ultrasounds and an MRI to ensure no tear had occurred through his first three matches; Fritz had initially declined to elaborate on health issues beyond those concerning his knee, but he sported visible tape across his torso in his last two matches of the tournament.

Though Fritz toyed with the idea of taking an extended break after feeling the effects of the knee tendonitis at United Cup, he has decided give his body another chance at the Nexo Dallas Open in February before reevaluating whether a longer hiatus is necessary to ensure a full recovery.