Taylor Fritz says who he thinks is the best player in the world ahead of the ATP Finals
Taylor Fritz has qualified for the ATP Finals after another strong year on the ATP Tour and will be hoping to impress in Turin.
Fritz won two ATP titles in 2024, in Delray Beach and at Eastbourne, taking home his seventh and eighth career trophies.
The American also reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the second time, as Fritz lost to Lorenzo Musetti in five sets.
US player Taylor Fritz sits on the court after slipping over attempting returns against Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti during their men’s singles quarter-…
He had another strong showing recently during the Asian swing of the ATP season, as Fritz reached the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters where he fell short to 24-time Grand Slam champion, Novak Djokovic.
His most impressive performance of the year came at Flushing Meadows, where Fritz reached the final of the US Open, eventually losing out to Jannik Sinner.
A tough defeat, but one that Fritz believes came against the top dog on the ATP Tour.
Taylor Fritz says that Jannik Sinner is the best player on the ATP Tour
Speaking in the Ilie Nastase Group press conference ahead of this year’s ATP Finals, Fritz was asked about what he learned from his US Open final defeat, and confirmed who he thinks is the best player in the world.
“I don’t think I learnt too much in particular from the US Open final,” he said.
“Obviously Jannik [Sinner] had an amazing year, he is the best player in the world, so there are a ton of things he does amazing.
“But when I look back to that match I think I focus more on a lot of things that I would like to do better.
“If I can do those things better then maybe I will start to see the things I learned from the match.”
The American went on to explain how excited he is to be taking part in the ATP Finals.
“He [Sinner] is incredibly tough to play as are all the players here,” said Fritz.
“It’s all the best players in the world.
“I’m excited for the opportunity and chance to at the very least play three matches against the very best players in the world.”
Can Taylor Fritz win the ATP Finals?
Fritz made his ATP Finals debut in 2022, narrowly missing out to Djokovic at the semi-final stage after losing two competitive tiebreakers.
The 27-year-old failed to qualify last year, but will be looking to make himself known this time round.
The American has been placed in a tough group with Sinner, Daniil Medvedev and debutant Alex de Minaur, all of which he has struggled against in the past.
Name Head-to-Head against Taylor Fritz
Jannik Sinner Leads 2-1
Daniil Medvedev Leads 1-0
Alex de Minaur Leads 5-3
Fritz’s head-to-head against his group opponents
Fritz has a losing record against all three of his group stage opponents in Turin, which won’t give him too much confidence heading in to the event.
He can always spring an upset however, and it would be naive to discount Fritz from picking up a few surprise wins to qualify for the semi-finals.
In fact, the American did just that last time he qualified for Turin, taking down the legendary Rafael Nadal on his way to the last four.
Whether Fritz can produce another monumental upset this time around remains to be seen, but you wouldn’t want to bet against him.
Fritz will open his Turin campaign against Medvedev on Sunday.
