Taylor Fritz in action in Eastbourne (Image Credit: ATP Tour - Twitter)
Who among the Big 3 is the toughest to face – Taylor Fritz reveals.
Taylor Fritz had an eventful 2022 as he won 46 singles matches and lost 21 on the tour. He also bagged 3 titles during the course of the year and added prize money of $4,489,807 in singles and $80,674 in doubles.
The current world No. 9 recently took part in the Diriyah Tennis Cup, which was an exhibition tournament played in Saudi Arabia. He went on to win the competition by getting the better of defending champion Daniil Medvedev in the final in straight sets.
During the tournament, Fritz gave an interview with CLAY and he answered questions on both on-field and off-field topics. One of the interesting questions he was asked was to name the toughest player to face amongst the Big 3 – Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer.
The 25-year-old stated that surfaces have a big bearing on determining the toughest opponent to face among the Big 3. He has never faced Nadal on clay courts but feels that it would be a very difficult proposition. Fritz hailed Federer for his exploits on faster surfaces while acknowledging Djokovic’s credentials on hardcourts.
“It’s really tough to say. It depends on the conditions for sure. I’ve never played Rafa in clay courts, but we know is tough as it gets. Federer on faster surfaces. Novak on hard court indoor. Those three are the toughest versions you can get.”
Roger Federer hung up his boots earlier this year at the Laver Cup. Novak Djokovic is still going strong while Rafael Nadal has played well in patches but struggled with injuries.
Taylor Fritz was asked a tricky question regarding if it will be a relief for the younger players when all of the Big 3 call it a day. The American star said that he wouldn’t term it as relief but he likes how things stand at the moment with Grand Slams being much more winnable as of late. Nadal bagged the Australian Open title and the French Open title earlier in the year while Djokovic took home the Wimbledon crown. However, Carlos Alcaraz stunned the world by winning the US Open title.
“I wouldn’t say relief, but I definitely feel like as stands right now even, the big titles are so much more winnable than they used to be. I’m more excited cause I feel like getting these titles isn’t as hard as to get as before. The door is already slowly opening a bit more and you can see it: there have been so many more Masters 1000 winners over the past two years than probably ever. When I was 18, 20 years old, basically only four or five people could get big events.”
Taylor Fritz will begin his season in 2023 by taking part in the first-ever United Cup tournament that takes place across cities in Australia – Brisbane, Perth, and Sydney.
Fritz will have the likes of Frances Tiafoe, Denis Kudla, and Hunter Reese as fellow male players in team USA, in the 18-team tournament.
Among the female players, Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys, Alycia Parks, and Desirae Krawczyk will be seen representing Team USA.
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