To find an American tennis player in the final of the ATP Finals, you have to go back to 2006, when James Blake was defeated by Roger Federer, but, 18 years after that match, Taylor Fritz will have the opportunity to restore glory to the United States of America. The finalist of the US Open, beating Alexander Zverev in an extremely hard-fought semifinal, conquered the final of the year-end Masters 2024.
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The previous presence of an American tennis player in the final was that of Andre Agassi in 2003, also in that case defeated in three sets by the Swiss Maestro. To find a success of an American player at the ATP Finals, you have to go back 25 years and return to 1999, when Pete Sampras beat Andre Agassi in an all-American final in Hannover. Today Fritz will try in a challenge that is anything but simple for him in the final against Jannik Sinner.
This season will bring Taylor from Monday to his best career ranking, ATP No.4. And he is already certain to end the year as number 4 in the world since he will surpass Daniil Medvedev and will be behind only Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz.
Finally, there is another record to set for Fritz: in the year of his first Slam final in New York, he is also the first American tennis player to reach the final of the US Open and the Masters at the end of the year since 1999, when Andre Agassi did it.
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At the press conference after beating the German and reaching his first final at the year-end Masters, the American said how the match against Sinner will be different from the US Open final, highlighting what were the key points of the match he just won.
"I think the key was playing the important points well. I found great shots and great serves in the decisive moments of the match. I have always believed that I am one of the best tennis players, not only for the results but for the feeling I get when I play. I feel like I have made great improvements to my game in the last few weeks", Fritz revealed in the press conference.
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On the victories against Zverev he explained: "Apart from the one in the Laver Cup, all the matches we played could have had a different outcome if a couple of points had gone differently. I have to be honest. Both today and at the US Open I had the feeling that I was able to make an impact in the key moments."
Fritz said the conditions are very different from the US Open, where he was just trying to stay alive through serving, winning points by hitting winners or waiting for his own mistakes.
"I didn't feel that way during the Round Robin match here. I was much more comfortable from the baseline. I had my chances in both sets. He did too and he took them. He played the important points better than me. I had the feeling that the match was more balanced. He is the best player in the world," he explained.
