MELBOURNE, VIC - FEBRUARY 12: Taylor Fritz of the United States of America celebrates after winning a game during round 3 of the 2021 Australian Open on February 12 2020, at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. Photo by Jason Heidrich/Icon Sportswire TENNIS: FEB 12 Australian Open Icon2102121865
The 24-year old Fritz is an emerging star and presently ranked no. 13 in the ATP rankings
Taylor Fritz is the highest-ranked men’s singles player from the U.S.A. Last week, the American caused a major upset by defeating Rafael Nadal 6-3, 7-6 in the final of the Indian Wells Masters. Fritz is currently ranked 13th in the world but broke into the top 10 recently, occupying 8th place – his highest ever career ranking. Fritz has made some really quick progress over the past 12 months and broke into the Top 10 of ATP Rankings in a very short span of time.
Taylor Fritz stunned the tennis community with a very impressive straight-set win against Rafael Nadal in the final of the Indian Wells. Nadal was in hot form and came into the match with a 20-0 win record in 2022. Odds were clearly against the young American but it didn’t show on the court, with Fritz clinching the title in style. The local favourite, Fritz had an outstanding run in the competition defeating 7th seed Andrey Rublev in the semi-final and followed it up against World no. 4, Nadal with a stunning victory in the final.
The wide range of skill set that Fritz has, makes him a very tricky opposition to play against. Fritz possesses a dominant serve that can reach 149 mph and solid groundstrokes off both wings. One of Fritz’s defining strengths is his ability to hit sharp angles cross-court shots on both the backhand and forehand sides. He also has a good topspin lob. Recently, Fritz has improved immensely on his forehand shots which has given him an edge over most opponents.
Fritz has won two titles so far in his senior career – the 2019 Eastbourne International, beating compatriot Sam Querrey in the final and the Indian Wells 2022. He is currently the no.1 ranked American in the ATP circuit. Fritz certainly has improved his game and it is evident in his recent results. The 24-year has been consistent on the circuit and if he maintains the consistency, he definitely will remain in the top 10 for a longer duration of time.
Men’s tennis is going through a transitional phase right now. It’s a matter of time before the likes of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer hand over the baton to the next generation. Medvedev is next on the line accompanied by a bunch of supremely talented youngsters – Tsitsipas, Alcaraz, Felix, Zverev, Shapovalov and so on. Taylor Fritz is now certainly one of the top names from the next crop of players and he will look to stay consistent and dominate men’s tennis for a long time to come.
More Tennis news
Follow our dedicated Tennis page for instant Tennis news and updates