Taylor Fritz was seen vomiting on court as he took on fellow American Tommy Paul in a mammoth semi-final clash at the Mexican Open last Friday night.
Fritz more than played his part in the epic battle, before going on to narrowly lose against his fellow countryman 6-3 6-7 7-6. One aspect that did not help his efforts was the searing heat in the host Mexican city of Acapulco.
During the epic three-hour-25-minute match with Paul, Fritz was forced to take a stoppage in play where he appeared to throw up in a court-side bucket when preparing to serve at 5-6 in the second set.
Prior to taking his shot, the American star quickly left the baseline before making his way over to his bench, which he leaned over before sticking his head into the bucket. Looking sheepish and unwell, Fritz was then seen wiping his face with a towel before returning to the action.
As the 25-year-old returned to the court, the umpire was seen quickly making his way down from her chair to move the bucket in question. The TV commentator then reluctantly mentioned that Fritz should be handed a points violation for breaking the 25-second limit between points.
The struggling Fritz was spared though, despite his rival Paul being issued with a violation for taking his time due to exhaustion earlier in the clash. However, it was the latter who prevailed, before Paul himself was defeated by Australian Alex de Minaur in Sunday's final.
Speaking after the semi-final, Fritz's partner gave an update on the American's welfare following the match. Claiming they were with tournament doctors until 4am, she wrote: "After he got sick on court last night we were up until 4am with the tournament doctors.
"He couldn't keep any food down, chills, severe dehydration, full body cramping and almost had to go to the hospital. So scary. He is too stubborn to default and pushed himself too hard. These high-humidity tournaments are no joke. Sad way to end the week but so proud of the few weeks and excited to get to Indian Wells."
