Taylor Fritz's ATP top 10 spot in jeopardy after Paris Masters 2023 withdrawal

Injury forces Fritz to exit Paris Masters, endangering Nitto ATP finals qualification.

Taylor Fritz will find himself out of the ATP top ten tennis men’s tennis rankings for the first time in a year as he withdrew from the Paris Masters 2023 on Tuesday. His exit, due to an abdominal strain during his first-round match, puts his hopes of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals in jeopardy. The American advanced to the second round with a straight-set win over Sebastian Baez but needed medical attention during the second set.

The tenth-ranked Fritz trails Holger Rune, who is in eighth place by 190 points in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin. The American is scheduled to play at next week’s Sofia Open. Even if he wins there, it could be a close call regarding his qualification for the Nitto ATP Finals.

Should Rune make it to the quarterfinals at the ongoing ATP 1000 event, it will be curtains for Fritz’s hopes of playing in Turin. The California native was set to play against Daniel Altmaier in the second round. The German now awaits the winner of the Holger Rune and Dominic Thiem encounter in the third round after benefiting from a walkover.

Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Jannik Sinner, and Andrey Rublev have already secured their spots as confirmed players.

Stefanos Tsitsipas is almost through the door, and the last-minute shuffle in the rankings will keep the race to Turin interesting. Alexander Zverev and Holger Rune, who are placed eighth and ninth, respectively, will be facing pressure as the countdown to the year-ending event continues.

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Hubert Hurkacz, currently ninth in the standings with 3,110 points, Casper Ruud, 11th with 2,825 points, and Tommy Paul with 2,655 points, have all moved into the second round and are keeping their hopes of qualifying for the ATP Finals alive.

The singles champion will earn €836,355 ($883,525) and 1,000 ATP points, while the victorious doubles pairing will pocket €282,960 (approximately $298,918) and 1,000 ATP points at the ongoing ATP Masters 2023.