The 29-Year-Old Pete Sampras Record Taylor Fritz Could Equal to Become the American King of Tennis

Taylor Fritz is currently preparing himself to defend his title at the Tokyo Open. The defending champion has not had the best of form since doing reasonably well at the US Open. The American player suffered a loss at the hands of eventual champion Novak Djokovic, in the quarterfinals. A victory at Tokyo will help Fritz equal a 29-year-old Pete Sampras record.

The Japan Open offers a great prize money as well as valuable ATP ranking points and winning the tournament would have a big impact on the race to the ATP Finals. The total prize money for the Japan Open Tennis Championships in 2023 is $2,013,940, a 3.11% increase over 2022. The winner in Tokyo will collect $376,620 in prize money, which is 3.1% more than Taylor Fritz received when he won the title last year.

Taylor Fritz aims for rare American feat in Japan

The great American players like John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, and Jim Courier were 3 top American players to win in Tokyo in the mid 90s. Taylor Fritz managed to end this drought last year with his win in 2022. Now, the American has a chance to make  history and become the first player from his country since Pete Sampras to defend a title in Tokyo, since 1994.

This year, Taylor Fritz is the top seed and will be a heavy favorite to win. However, Casper Ruud, Alexander Zverev, and Alex de Minaur are all in the draw and will prove to be a challenge for the defending champion. Fritz will try to beat the chasing pack and retain the title, something that is a rare feat.

Kei Nishikori of Japan was the last player to win multiple titles in Tokyo, doing so in 2014 and 2016. Taylor Fritz defeated Frances Tiafoe 7-6(3), 7-6(2) in an all-United States final in 2022. Tiafoe entered the final having won 13 straight tiebreaks in singles sets, but Fritz dominated the match from start to finish and won both the tiebreaks comfortably.

Fritz’s girlfriend enjoys Japan

Morgan Riddle, Taylor Fritz’s girlfriend, was present during the Tokyo Open 2022 and was taken aback by the great conduct of Japanese supporters. She posted about enjoying the hospitality and the Japanese culture on social media. Riddle has revealed Japan is one of her favorite countries to visit in the world.

Fritz is set to face Norrie in the first round, which promises to be a tricky game. Norrie is a strong first round opponent which shows the high level of tennis the people can expect at the Tokyo Open 2023.