Taylor Fritz has proven that he has become a top player this year. The American player has made notable improvements in recent months and recent results certify his rise on the men’s tour.
Fritz reached his first Grand Slam final at the US Open, where he played a huge tournament in front of his fans before losing to Jannik Sinner in the final. That match against the world No. 1 showed Taylor that he still needs to improve if he wants to get to the same level as Jannik and Carlitos Alcaraz, but it also gave him further confidence in his growth path.
Jannik Sinner & Taylor Fritz, ATP Finals 2024© Stream screenshot
The current world No. 5 is playing his best tennis at the Nitto ATP Finals, on a surface that is perfect for his game. Fritz had already shown that he played very well in Turin in 2022, when he put Novak Djokovic in serious trouble in the semifinals. Taylor’s level had already been very high on the group stage, where he had defeated Daniil Medvedev and Alex de Minaur losing only to an unstoppable Sinner. The American ace was the underdog against Alexander Zverev in the semifinals, as the German was playing his best tennis and had just defeated Alcaraz.
The world number 5 knows how to put Sascha in trouble and how to exploit his weaknesses, which is why he inflicted his fourth defeat in a row in the H2H (after Wimbledon, US Open and Laver Cup).
Fritz will face Sinner in the final
Fritz will need a feat against Sinner in the final. The world number 1 is truly unstoppable this season, in which he has achieved more than 90% of wins and has suffered only six losses. Taylor has already lost to Jannik in the US Open final a couple of months ago and here in Turin in the group stage.
During an interview with Sky Sports Tennis, former ATP ace Tim Henman discussed Fritz’s current level: ”Fritz started off so well and served impressively and Zverev looked frustrated. In the second set, we saw a change as Zverev built some scoreboard pressure and that was his. In the third set, from start to finish, it was so close.
They were getting into these incredible backhand exchanges. It is going to be such fine margins as to why Fritz came out on top.
I think trust is such an important word. Even in the last couple of months, Fritz has gone up a level and he’s learning so much about himself and he trusted himself to be aggressive.”
Tim continued: “There were a few moments where I don’t think Sasha took that forward step and play on his terms. He got a bit passive on the forehand in the tiebreak and I don’t think that’s something that he didn’t know already.
I think he can win a Grand Slam title but if he plays like that he won’t. He needs to be prepared to take it on.”
A new dimension
The American player looks set to win a Grand Slam title next year and his work during the off-season will be key to achieving this goal. Taylor will have to try to become more unpredictable on the tennis court and add new solutions that help him when his game isn’t working. Fritz has become the great hope of the United States to return to win a Major title and finally break this curse.
The 2024 US Open finalist won 51 matches in 2024 and has also shown progress outside of hard courts. The American still has a lot to improve on red clay, while on grass he seems to play better as evidenced by the quarterfinals reached at the Wimbledon Championships. Fritz could have reached the semifinals in London this year, but lost to young Italian Lorenzo Musetti in five sets.
In a press conference during the Nitto ATP Finals, the World No.5 commented on his rise: “I don’t think anyone’s going to be considered enough until, I guess, someone wins a slam. I think I’ve probably shown through the years that, I mean, I’ve had the best results. Yeah, if people don’t think I’m good enough to win a slam, then yeah, you’re going to look to younger people that they think have more potential. I mean, that is what it is.”
He added: “I’ve shown why I’m the top American for the last couple years, kind of every year with my results. I kind of just let my results do the talking. If that’s not enough for people, then it is what it is. Some people prefer people with more just flashier games.”