With the 2026 Australian Open a little over a week away, fans are worried we might not see Taylor Fritz in Melbourne.

Fritz, the No. 6 ranked player in the world, has been representing his country in the United Cup 2026. On Saturday, he took on Sebastian Baez of Argentina in the group stage. He fell short in a three-set thriller, 6-4, 5-7, 4-6.

The former US Open finalist later revealed that he's been battling "pretty serious tendonitis" in his knee.

"I couldn't really target anything," Fritz said. "My goal was really just to try and rehab my knee. I still have pretty serious tendonitis and that's something that takes a really long time to get rid of."

Fritz didn't say if this injury will prevent him from competing at the Australian Open. If that's the case, an argument can be made that he shouldn't be giving it his all in the United Cup.

Fans questioning Fritz's schedule.

"Why on earth do you participate if you suffer that much from an injury 2 weeks before the first Grand Slam of the season?" one fan asked.

"Hope he recovers and comes back to form quickly," a second fan wrote.

"Dammit. Thought Taylor Fritz was a sleep candidate to make a deep run at the Australian Open 2026," another fan said.

"Terrible news for Fritz with the Australian Open around the corner," tennis commentator Jose Morgado said.

Taylor Fritz just seen talking to the tournament director about his knee issue. Fritz told the press ahead of the United Cup that he's battling through "pretty serious tendonitis".

World No. 114 Mackie McDonald would likely replace Fritz in the remaining ties if needed. pic.twitter.com/BLcNylSrrj

— Christian's Court (@christianscourt) January 3, 2026

Fritz isn't ready to shut himself down, but he admit that could be an option if his knee injury doesn't improve.

"I just need to play points and be healthy, that is the most important. I spent most, practically the entire preseason, rehabilitating my knee tendinopathy, but it takes months and months to improve," Fritz said. "I couldn't play many points because I try not to push myself too much. It's going to be a battle to get points and matches to start feeling comfortable while juggling that and still managing the knee pain, because I'm going to try to play and continue with rehab as I travel and improve, but if that doesn't work in a couple of months, then I'll have to stop completely and fix it."

Hopefully, Fritz is able to get as close to full strength as possible for the first Grand Slam tournament of the 2026 season.

This story was originally published by The Spun on Jan 3, 2026, where it first appeared in the Tennis section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.