"The next step is going to be consistently winning those matches that he's supposed to win" - Andy Roddick on how Taylor Fritz can become a top-5 player
World No. 9 Taylor Fritz made an unexpected entry into the 2022 ATP Finals owing to the withdrawal of Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz. He made the semifinals on his debut at the season-ending championship, losing to Novak Djokovic.
The 25-year-old enjoyed a career-best season, where he won titles in Indian Wells, Eastbourne, and Tokyo.
in a conversation on the Tennis Channel, former tennis player Andy Roddick pointed out that Fritz needed to consistently win matches against lesser-ranked opponents to break into the top 5. He cited the World No. 9's losses this season against Gilles Simon in Paris and Brandon Holt in New York to emphasize his point.
"The next step is going to be consistently winning those matches that he's supposed to win, right? He has proven that he can play well when the level is up here. But can he get past Gilles Simon in the second round of Bercy or Brandon Holt first round of the US Open, that's gonna take him from you know, 7-8 in the world to 3-4 in the world," Roddick stated.
Roddick, however, lauded Fritz's progress this year, saying it was as much as anyone could possibly expect.
"I think Taylor made as much progress this year as anyone could possibly expect. Breaking serve at a 25% clip, I think Jim (Courier) sent a stat the other day, that's 6% higher than it was two years ago. So, the progress is obvious," he added.
"I absolutely feel like I belong”- Taylor Fritz
Taylor Fritz's 2022 season came to a close on Saturday following a heartbreaking semi-final loss to Novak Djokovic in the ATP Finals.
Despite the defeat, the American sounded upbeat in his post-match presser, stating that he felt like he belonged in the top 10. He added that he would continue to work hard.
"I absolutely feel like I belong. think that I've proved that I belong in the Top 10 and I belong here. I just need to keep working hard," Fritz said.
Taylor Fritz went on to reflect on a "solid year" from which there were a lot of positives to take away.
"Fortunately for me, I think there's a lot of positives to take out of this year where I finished. I finished where I did and I missed pretty much the whole clay-court season, didn't have any training going into the beginning of the hard-court season. I was dealing with injuries and I still was able to produce a really solid year," he added.