new york: As personally satisfying and career-boosting as Taylor Fritz’s runner-up showing at the 2024 US Open was, he is attempting to keep that out of his mind as he goes back to Flushing Meadows. Instead, he wants to remain rooted in the present.
“I’m honestly trying not to think about last year there,” Fritz said in an interview. “I want to do everything the same as I did it last time — which is not looking ahead in the draw, not thinking about the end of the tournament.”
When play begins Sunday at the final Grand Slam tournament of the season, Fritz should have every reason to expect big things from himself, just as American tennis fans are bound to expect big things from the 27-year-old Californian who has produced quite a 12-month stretch.
Fritz has reached a career-best No. 4 in the rankings, behind only No. 1 Jannik Sinner, No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz and No. 3 Alexander Zverev. In addition to making it to the final in New York before losing to Sinner — the first appearance in a title match for a U.S. man at any Grand Slam tournament since 2009 — Fritz also was beaten by Sinner in the final of the ATP Finals in Italy in November and by Alcaraz in the semifinals at Wimbledon last month.
A big serve, big forehand and increasingly effective return game have elevated Fritz toward the top of men’s tennis, even if he — like many others — hasn’t quite broken through for a major championship in this era of dominance by Sinner and Alcaraz.
Fritz’s run to last year’s US Open final came close to ending a Slam drought
Fritz is well aware, of course, that no man from his country has won a Major singles trophy since Andy Roddick at the 2003 US Open.
“I don’t feel like I have a responsibility to do it — or I don’t feel like people are counting on me or anything. I think all the pressure that I feel is just the pressure that I’m putting on myself,” Fritz said. “I’m a competitor, I’ve given my whole life to playing tennis, and that’s what I really want, is to
win a Slam.”