Taylor Fritz may have had a less than ideal season so far but he has certainly had his moments. Hard courts, especially, is where the American has made an impact, won titles and shown off his talent. Looking at the last 12 months puts him in a very commendable place amongst the best players in the world, with Fritz lagging behind only five other players.
Statistically speaking, Fritz has been the sixth best hard court tennis player in the world. Better than him are four usual suspects and one surprise name but Fritz is ahead of the likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andrey Rublev, both of whom have a fearsome reputation on the hard surface.
Taylor Fritz is proving his hard court primacy
Having played 57 matches on the hard courts in the last 52 weeks, Taylor Fritz has won 41 while losing 16. This translates to a 71.9% win rate, which has brought him 3 titles. He stands as the best among Americans when it comes to hard courts and also ahead of the likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andrey Rublev, who stand at 9th and 23th respectively.
Holger Rune may come as a surprise name to many, sitting just above Fritz with a fraction of a better win rate of 72.5% with a 37-14 win/loss record. Novak Djokovic tops the list emphatically with a 91.9% win rate having won 34 of his 37 hard court matches and 5 ATP titles. Daniil Medvedev has the most number of hard court titles with 6, which is one more than the Serb but a much lower win rate of 79.7%. Carlos Alcaraz, who completes the top 3, has 2 ATP titles and a win rate just a shade lower than Medvedev (78%).
Taylor Fritz is good company and this bodes well for his upcoming campaign at the Rogers Cup, followed by the Cincinnati Masters and finally the US Open. However it is worth noting that two of his 3 ATP titles in the last 12 months are 250 titles, at Delray Beach and Atlanta while Tokyo Open is his only ATP 500 title. Nonetheless, a player can only play the draw that is at hand and Fritz has done that well.
Good start to the US Open build up
Taylor Fritz has recovered well from his very disappointing Wimbledon campaign by winning the very first event he’s played after. Beating the likes of Kei Nishikori and JJ Wolf at Atlanta git him the title and he is currently slated to meet Andy Murray in the second round of the Washington Open. Murray should prove to be a good test for Fritz to understand where he stands. The American has the physicality and the game to beat the Brit but the real test here will be his mentality and whether he can outdo his very seasoned opponent.
Taking into account the same period of time, Andy Murray stands way below Fritz on the 38th spot with a 58.6% of win rate.
Tough physical and mental battles are something Fritz will need under his belt if he is to make an impact at the US Open. Last year, he failed to impress miserably at Flushing Meadows, falling in the very opening round to compatriot Brandon Holt. This was especially a missed opportunity since Novak Djokovic couldn’t compete and the title was up for grabs with even Medvedev losing in the round of 16.
Should Fritz get wins against the likes of Murray and then go on to make deep runs at the Toronto and Cincinnati Masters, he should be well prepared and in the right state of mind to take on the US Open and prove his mettle on hard courts.
