Taylor Fritz will have high hopes going into the 2025 season thanks to the American’s fine efforts in 2024.
Fritz lost the US Open final and ATP Finals final to Jannik Sinner this year, with the former having reached his first Grand Slam final.
He also won two tour-level titles throughout the 2024 season, with Fritz ending the year as number four thanks to his fantastic displays.
But the hard work mustn’t stop now for Fritz, with the American likely to be eager to get his 2025 season off to the strongest possible start.
As always, however, it won’t be easy, with his fellow stars Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz certain to be constantly challenging for silverware.
What Rennae Stubbs has now realised about Taylor Fritz
Sinner and Alcaraz shared the Grand Slam honours this season, with their rivalry set to dominate men’s tennis for many years to come.
Fritz will be hoping to disrupt that dominance, but he does need to better understand one aspect of tennis to do that, according to Rennae Stubbs.
“I have an interesting story,” she said on The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast. “He and I have talked back and forth sometimes on Instagram and various things and I did mention to him, I am always pushing him to go forward with his volleys. And I remember I think I saw him in Cincinnati after they lost the doubles final – him and Tommy Paul – against the Aussie guys, who clearly can volley very well.
READ MORE: Carlos Alcaraz and Taylor Fritz are first two players confirmed for US hosted tournament in 2025
“I said something about volleying or whatever and he said ‘who needs to volley in doubles, we just won a silver medal?’ And the way he said it made me realise that you don’t value volleys. You don’t actually value that part of tennis. In stipulating that you beat these doubles guys not even being at the net. I was like first of all you were playing on clay and second of all you didn’t win gold and the reason you didn’t is because they probably picked on you at the net!
“I think he needs to understand that, yeah, you might not need volleys to win all matches but I am telling you right now that you need them if you want to win a Grand Slam. I hope he proves me wrong and wins a Grand Slam at the back of the court and never needing to hit a volley under pressure!”
Rennae Stubbs issues Taylor Fritz Grand Slam warning
With eight titles in 2024, Sinner should be the man to beat once more next year, with the Italian in truly formidable form.
Alcaraz meanwhile, with four titles, was a close second, even if he finished third in the year-end rankings behind Alexander Zverev.
The German should also be aiming to keep tabs on the leading duo, with the likes of Daniil Medvedev and Casper Ruud set to join him and Fritz in those aiming to topple Sinner and Alcaraz.
READ MORE: What Taylor Fritz did at the Laver Cup which completely changed John Isner’s opinion of him
And Stubbs is excited to see how the American can progress from his superb run in New York, having added: “I am really looking forward to seeing how much Taylor Fritz can push that extra envelope of improving his net game and that forehand momentum. I think he got a taste for it this year and got very close to winning his first Grand Slam.
“And I can say when I made my first Grand Slam final, it’s the same thing of this is the next big step. I think once you are there once, I think he got the taste for it and he knows what he has to do to get to that next step. It will be interesting to see if he tries to implement it.
“Because moving forward and being better at moving forward is going to help him. If he doesn’t he is not going to be Alcaraz or Sinner moving forward. And one of those guys, just like Roger [Federer], Rafa [Nadal] and Novak, they are always going to be there.”
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
