Taylor Fritz: After the "high" it gets really tricky
The positive trend in tennis nation USA continues. With Taylor Fritz, the United States have another top five player in their ranks. But the next few weeks will show how sustainable his success is.
by Robin Huiber
last edit:
Feb 23, 2023, 08:02 am
Taylor Fritz is the first American since Andy Roddick in 2009 to achieve a top-five finish in the world rankings.
The computers still only spit him out as a theoretical top 5 player, but after his fifth career title in Delray Beach his ranking will be official on February 27th. Fritz defeated Miomir Kecmanovic in three sets on Sunday in Florida. Fritz had to go into the third set, although he had already had match point in set two. But the now 25-year-old didn't let the involuntary extra time throw him off - with the highest career placing as a reward as both Andrey Rublev and Rafael Nadal will drop 500 points this week and thus fall behind.
After that, things get tricky for Fritz: At the Masters tournament in Indian Wells, which begins on March 20, the US boy, as last year's winner, has to defend 1,000 points. In 2021 he will reach the semi-finals in the Californian desert.
Fritz's success goes hand in hand with a positive US trend: He is one of eleven American men currently ranked in the top 50 who have made the leap.