Taylor Fritz played very well at the Nitto ATP Finals, reaching the final after defeating Alexander Zverev in one of the best matches of the entire tournament. The new world number 4 hoped to win a very prestigious title before the end of the season, but had to suffer his third defeat in a row against Jannik Sinner.
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The world number 1 was impeccable in the final in Turin, using his serve very well in the decisive moments and getting a break in every set that made the difference. The Italian ace who had already defeated Fritz this year in the US Open final and in the group stage at the ATP Finals confirmed that he is the best player in the world despite the excellent performance of the American ace.
Taylor couldn't have played better and the surface was ideal for his game, but Jannik is more complete than him right now. The 2024 US Open finalist will need to make further improvements to get closer to the level of Sinner and Alcaraz, who dominated the men's tour in 2024.
Fritz's next goal is to try to win a Grand Slam title, an achievement that would allow him to make American tennis history. The American champion seems willing to work hard to make this dream come true.
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Fritz is the new world No.4
Taylor has been one of the best players overall this year and his rise could continue in 2025, which will be a decisive year for his career.
After his loss against Sinner in Turin, the American ace opened up on his new status: Yeah, I think Ive thought a lot recently about kind of the position Im in. Id say more so this week with just the tennis Ive been playing, its more like Ive been thinking about just the belief I had.
I think something I told my team was, whenever it was, 2023 when I won Delray right before I was defending the Indian Wells title, when I hit 5 in the world for, like, a week, I was kind of like, Thats crazy, Im 5 in the world, look at all these guys ranked behind me that are probably better than me.
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He also added: Back then I was 5, but I didnt feel like I was 5, he explained. Now Im ranked where Im at. I feel like I belong. Its a different feeling. Its been a great year. That gives me a lot of confidence to have that belief. Thats a huge part of having the big results.
The goals I set for myself were to finish top 5. My prior career high was 5, so I wanted to actually I hit 5 for a week, and I wanted to actually finish 5.
Fritz has to become more unpredictable on the court to defeat the players ahead of him in the ATP rankings, otherwise it will be very tough for him to win a Major title in the future. His power from the baseline is unmatched on the men's tour, but Taylor is still lacking in some areas of the court (such as near the net).
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Jim Courier on the final
In yesterday's final, the American champion was unable to break Sinner's certainties, who knew how to put his rival in trouble in moments of greatest tension. In addition, the world number 4 will have to raise his level on red clay and grass, where his performance is much lower than on hard courts.
Fritz struggles a lot to contain the game of Sinner and Alcaraz, while he has become a nightmare for Sascha Zverev (defeated in the last four clashes Wimbledon, US Open, Laver Cup and ATP Finals).
Speaking with Tennis Channel, former American ace Jim Courier talked about the ATP Finals final: Its amazing. The one guy who has troubled Jannikthis season came into the tournament sick and that was Alcaraz, so sadly we didnt get to see those two face off as Carlos didnt make it out of his round-robin.
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Everyone else was just cannon fodder for what Sinner was bringing this week. And when his serve was as accurate as Andy Roddicks that was bananas, to see how many of his serves were within one foot of the line.
Half of them, thats impossible to stop. The guy served over 70% first serves in play, obviously, he is going to win if hes playing like that.
The next edition of the Australian Open will be very useful to define the hierarchies of men's tennis, which is going through a phase of profound changes due to the end of an era.
