Taylor Fritz

Ever since he was the best junior in the world, Taylor Fritz’s progress has been steady – the American hasn’t skipped many steps, but hasn’t missed a lot either. In 2024 he continued to build upon a terrfic last season, culminating in the most important „first“ of his career at the US Open, where he reached his first Grand Slam final.

Fritz ended the season on a high note as a runner-up at the ATP Finals in Turin making him number 4 in the world. No American has ended the year higher on the rankings since James Blake in 2006. Furthermore, Fritz became the first American since Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi in 1999 to beat at least ten top 10 opponents in a year (11 in total).

Even though his serve and forehand are his greatest weapons, from an early age Fritz didn’t fit the usual American mold, he was much more than that. Under the tutelage of Michael Russell, Fritz tremendously improved his movement, rally tolerance and fitness, which allowed him to grind out more wins than he was able to do in the past. This was particularly evident on the clay courts, where he reached the finals in Munich, semis in Madrid, quarterfinals in Rome and fourth round at the French Open, earning him – jokingly, but nonetheless – the nickname Claylor.

Still, if you ask the world number 2 Alexander Zverev, who lost to Fritz on the biggest stages three times this year (Wimbledon, US Open, Turin), the shot that Fritz improved the most on is – the forehand.

„It used to break down quite a lot. His forehand was always fast and aggressive, but it was very shaky in important moments. He could hit a winner, but he could hit the fence, as well. I feel like the ratio is a lot more towards winners now than hitting the fence“, said Zverev.

Fritz captured two titles this season, in Delray Beach and Eastbourne respectively, but since winning Indian Wells in 2022, the American has failed to reach a Masters 1000 final. This season's best outings came in Madrid (l. to Rublev in the semis) and Shanghai (l. to Djokovic in the semis).

Greatest Win: Fritz proved that he mastered the art of „hanging in there“ against his friend Frances Tiafoe in the semifinals of the US Open. Earlier he might have faded away, but the new, resilient Fritz hung tough and clawed out one of his four five-set wins this season – 4-6 7-5 4-6 6-4 6-1. Understandably, Fritz teared up in his on court interview: „It's the reason why I do what I do. It's the reason why I work so hard“.

What If Moment: Not a lot of those for Fritz this season, however... In 2022, he was on the verge of making the Wimbledon semifinals before losing to a hampered Rafael Nadal, and now he missed on the same opportunity in another five-setter – the only one he lost the whole season – losing to Lorenzo Musetti 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-2, 3-6 6-1. Fritz was a set and a break up, then let frustration get the better of him for a significant part of the match and ultimately disappeared in the fifth. Still, he made up for everything in New York, once again proving that he learns rather quickly from past experiences.

Look Ahead: „I feel like I belong“, said Fritz in Turin. Indeed he does, his rise wasn’t meteoric, and looking at his career as a whole, he shouldn’t be prone to a big lapse. The American is already looking to improve his chances against the very best. „The short answer is there's certain forehands that I'm hitting a lot better than I was hitting before. That's been a big change. It's something that I noticed was bothering me more so in particular matchups with top players“. Maintaining his current status while looking to add a big title will be on the cards for Fritz in 2025.