Taylor Fritz suggests if he still wants to be playing tennis at 40 years old

Taylor Fritz is currently doing his best to manage persistent tendonitis in his right knee, which is directly impacting his long-term future.

The 28-year-old most recently took on the Miami Open, where Fritz suffered a disappointing round of 16 defeat to Jiri Lehecka.

That loss followed wins against Botic van de Zandschulp and fellow American Reilly Opelka, with two of those three matches going to three sets.

It remains to be seen what course of action Fritz will now follow as the ATP calendar approaches the clay season.

He has now featured in six ATP tournaments in 2026 so far, with the American currently holding a 12-8 win-loss record.

Taylor Fritz won’t be playing tennis aged 40

Fritz now has a decision to make about his short-term future, but he has already made a big one about his long-term plans.

When asked by Bounces what he thinks he’ll be doing aged 40, he replied: “I’m not going to be playing tennis.

“Like, there’s no way.

“With how my body has been feeling the last couple of years, there’s no way I’m going to be able to hold on for another 12 years.”

It’s a definitive answer from Fritz, who clearly knows his body well enough that it won’t be able to compete at the highest level by then.

At what age have many ATP legends retired?

Fritz’s plans are in stark contrast to two ATP legends who are currently winding down their legendary careers.

Stan Wawrinka is currently playing his last season in professional tennis at the age of 40, with his 41st birthday arriving later this week.

And his fellow icon Gael Monfils is also playing out his last campaign, with the Frenchman turning 40 in September.

Of course, different players will retire at different ages, and they will have different reasons for doing so.

Fritz will definitely have his knee injury as a key factor, but hopefully it won’t prevent the 10-time ATP champion from securing further success.

Incidentally, legendary figure Roger Federer played until he was 41, with Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray retiring aged 38 and 37 respectively.

More recent retirements in men’s tennis include Milos Raonic at 35, Juan Martin del Potro at 36, and Dominic Thiem at just 31.

Their fellow legend Novak Djokovic is still going, although the Serbian is balancing his schedule ahead of his 39th birthday.

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